Zootopia: Hardboiled
by Trash Bean
Summary: A fatal attack drags Detectives Wilde and Hopps into the shadowy underworld of Zootopia, forcing them to rely on each other more than ever before. As the conspiracy pulls them deeper down the rabbit hole, the strength of their forbidden romance faces the ultimate test. Sexual chapters are marked with -XXX. Blood, violence, sex, and drug use.
1. Chapter 1

"All units code 3 to Lone Digger strip club on 35th and Skyway. Priority 0, caution victor…looking at multiple fatalities." Detectives Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps stared quietly at the radio. Responding officers updated their status in the next horrible seconds. Judy quickly grabbed the interceptor radio.

"1-10 responding, eta 10" Nick watched her slam the radio back into the receiver but hadn't started the car. Judy looked forward expectantly, then confused glanced at Nick. "C'mon Nick let's go!" Her foot _thumped_ on the floor anxiously, a tic that most bunnies had. Nick shook his head before looking back at her.

"Carrots, it just occurred to me that we've never responded to a violent crime before. Are you sure you want to do this?" He was legitimately concerned. The Savage Nightcrawler case had been vicious, but they hadn't seen any violence firsthand. Judy glared at him.

"Nick, if we can help the victims or their families it's our responsibility to do so. I'll be fine." Nick met her glare for a few moments more before keying the ignition and flicking on the lights and sirens. The massive interceptor engine roared to life and pushed the two firmly against their seats.

Roughly ten minutes and several close calls later, Detectives Hopps and Wilde were on scene. Another squad car and ambulance were hot parked in front of the club with lights on. As they parked the two cheetah EMTs from the ambulance pushed rushed out of the front door of the club. Nick was halfway out of the car when he saw the bloody mess they were pushing on a gurney, one bloody hand each pressed against a severe laceration on the victim's chest. They lifted the gurney into the back of the ambulance and rushed to the cab before taking off. Judy was standing still near the front of the interceptor watching the ambulance rush off and another come down street towards them. As Nick met her and started walking towards the door he took a sly glance at his partner. Eyes wide, her nose twitching almost continuously, it was simple to see she was scared. This was too much…he tried to think a way to not go inside but came up empty handed as they pushed the heavy metal door open. The security door opened to a short hallway where the double doors were propped open. Just inside that door Nick was able to make out an alligator lying face up in a pool of blood. He glanced at Judy again, as much to reassure himself that he could handle what was to come as much as ensuring she was. Her eyes were locked on the alligator.

"This is gonna be a long night." Her voice was unusually high Nick noticed as they crossed the threshold into the club itself. The iron scent of blood assaulted his more sensitive nose, quickly followed by an instinctive watering of his mouth. He unconsciously dismissed this bodily reaction as just that and forced himself to take in the rest of the scene. The alligator was only the beginning of the shit show that was to be on display that night. By his count there were at least ten dead, possibly more: three king cobras, two cats, two Doberman, one water buffalo, and two alligators. The bodies had been mangled in every conceivable fashion without making use of modern weapons. A rhino officer was sitting at the bar taking notes on the layout of the crime scene while another officer escorted a gazelle wrapped in a blanket out the front door. The officer, a wolf, stopped by Nick and Judy for a moment.

"Evening detectives. I'm sergeant Fenrir, my partner officer Cong is taking crime scene notes. Ms. White here is the only witness who hung around to talk to us. We'll be outside when you want to interview her. Watch your step, there's blood everywhere." With that, sergeant Fenrir gently lead the shaken gazelle out of the building. Judy hopped over to the bar and onto a barstool near officer Cong, carefully avoiding the many puddles of blood marking the floor interspersed around the room. Nick decided to take a short walk around while Judy spoke with the rhino.

"Officer Cong, what have you got so far?" She asked robotically. The rhino sighed and put away his pen before resting his massive forehead on his equally massive arm.

"Detective. Not a whole lot to go on unless you're familiar with this area, especially with no witness statement as of yet. Something started a frenzy in here but we're not really sure what it was besides that it wasn't night howler. We tested the victim's blood for traces of the plant and the quick response test didn't show anything. The water buffalo is –was the bouncer here. At least one of the cobras here was his work; the other two appear to have ganged up on him and the alligators, no idea why. The cats and the dogs got into a two-on-two fight that seems to have ended pretty badly. There was another Doberman that you saw getting taken out of the building, he's in pretty bad shape but I think he'll survive. As I said, no idea what started all this-"The rhino swept his hand behind him, gesturing towards the grisly scene. Nick chose that moment to pipe in from across the room, near the cats and dogs:

"I have a theory. These two Doberman are from the central city mafia." Nick sniffed at one of the cigars on the table to Doberman had obviously been sitting at, then taking a drag from the still smoking stogie.

"Alright Nick, let's get outside." Judy's voice was desperate, pleading, and Nick was too happy to oblige. By the time he had finished asking Officer Cong to send him a copy of the crime scene notes Judy had already disappeared outside. Nick took one last look at the scene before sighing and exiting the club.

The second ambulance was taking care of the gazelle, misses White was being tended to by EMTs while Officer Fenrir had his head pressed against the side of the ambulance, pinching the bridge of his nose. Nick found his partner sitting on the hood of their interceptor, looking out at the central city lights. They were particularly astonishing at night on a warm clear night like tonight. Nick pounced up on the hood of the car and slid into the spot beside Judy.

"Hey Carrots. You ok?" He reached an arm out to touch the rabbit's shoulder, only for her to immediately grab his Kevlar and bury her face in his chest. She was crying quietly, hard. This was way too much for her; he shouldn't have let her go through with this before more support had shown up. Nick beat himself up a thousand different ways in a second before moving on to make sure he was strong for Judy's sake.

"It's ok, I know…" He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her. She was warm, soft, beautiful in that moment. Nick inwardly cursed himself again for letting her get one over him with her tough bunny act in this situation. A minute passed by before the sobs subsided into snuffling and then heavy breathing and then sighs. Nick felt her grip loosen and let her go.

"C'mon Nick, we need to start investigating…" She grabbed his hand and hopped off the interceptor hood, leading him towards the club. Nick wouldn't be fooled a second time.

"Actually Carrots, why don't you talk to Ms. White and work on getting a witness statement, and I'll poke around inside. Otherwise we'll be here all night." He grinned, gently pushing her towards the ambulance.


	2. Chapter 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Judy~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright Ms. White, let's go back to just before the brawl broke out." Judy was glad to be out of the club. Nick had been right; it was too much for her first murder case. The stink alone had shattered her shiny idea of what a murder scene would look like. She already knew she would be having nightmares about the awkward stiff poses the corpses had taken. There was no dignity in death, no honor in leaving this world, just gruesome cold reality. Caught up in her thoughts, the mostly naked gazelle leaned close to Judy's face.

"Yalright in there? You kind zoned out on me." The gazelle's breasts dangled freely from her chest, hardly concealed behind bright pink star shaped pasties. Judy sighed and picked up her jotter and carrot shaped pen.

"Sorry about that, I was just thinking of the crime scene. Why don't we instead start with who was where in the bar, and then we'll work on a timeline." The gazelle leaned back into a more comfortable position against the ambulance.

"Sure...besides myself there were three king cobras sitting to the right of the stage at a round table, they had been there all night. Two nice alligators were sitting front and center, very generous boys…there was a fox and a swan at another round table, I remember them very well…they were so well dressed. A horse, or maybe a mule was sitting at the bar. He's a regular, our bartender probably knows him. To the left of the stage at another round table were the three Doberman. The owner doesn't like me talking to them, but they're there all the time. They're always nice to me. Three cats were sitting really close to the Doberman, in the back left corner at a separate table. Aside from our waitress Lacy and the bartender, that's all of us."

Judy had a small sketch of the bar, a sort of rectangle with a half circle in the top middle part for the stage with numbers in different locations. Below the sketch she had started a list with the numbers corresponding to the sketch and the described position of the club-goers. The task had taken her mind off of the sticky bloody scene in the club.

"Alright, so these people were there all night until the brawl?"

"Everyone except the cats had been there for an hour or more, the cats came in while I was facing away from the crowd and were all seated by the time I turned back around. That was just before the fight." Judy's nose twitched, as it often did when she felt suspicious. In this case, it was fairly obvious.

"So you're saying the cats came in just before the fight? Did they start it?" The gazelle nodded.

"I think so. They threw the first swing anyways. Or swipe. God…" For the first time the gazelle's voice broke. Judy just noticed that there were streaks of blood striping the woman as if someone had tried to clean her off before giving up and wrapping up in her towel. Judy put a paw on the gazelle's knee.

"Take your time. We just want to know what happened." The gazelle squeezed her eyes shut before opening them wide and wiping her eye.

"Before the cat…one of the cobras tried to attack Lacy for some reason. Our bouncer, Jack, grabbed her and was escorting her out when the Doberman got killed. The cobra bit Jack when that happened and that's really when everything went to shit."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Nick~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nick grudgingly reentered the club. Officer Cong hadn't moved since Nick had seen him last, still sketching out the details and arrangement of bodies in his notebook. Nick checked which sections had already been sketched before carefully beginning to look for identification on the bodies. All of the Doberman, cobras, alligators and the buffalo had identification of some sort, driver's licenses or club memberships. The cats were different though...neither of them carried identification. The cats and dogs each seemed to be dressed similar to their companions. The Cats were dressed in fresh red and white converse now speckled with blood, red black and blue jackets with high collars and jeans. The Doberman both wore tight fitting black suits with matching black ties and shiny gold cufflinks and matching tie bars. One of the Doberman had been stabbed through the eye with some sort of knife or a fork maybe...the device was buried to the hilt in the victims' eye, he couldn't clearly make out what exactly the object was, forensics would have to take on that one. The other Doberman's throat had been slashed open. Judging by the multiple lacerations of varying depths he guessed one of the cats had done him in that way. The cats, for their part, were killed with throats torn, necks broken, again all fairly typical.

Having taken a good look at the victims and sent their personal information (as much as was available anyways) to central for processing, he started looking into the details of the scene itself. The alligators had been sitting in front of the stage; they were unlikely to have started anything. One of the cobras had been taken by the bouncer so it was possible that had started the brawl, but their drinks were empty and unbothered by the struggle mere feet away from them. The other two cobras were lying near the other alligator rather than by the counterpart. Judging that one of the two alligators was slumped over the bar bounding the strip stage, he found it more likely the cobras joined the fray opportunistically rather than provocatively. Nick didn't take any notes, all of this he committed to memory. Years on the streets had developed his mind into a powerful tool; taking notes simply slowed him down. Judy would take all of the notes they would need. Nick moved over to the buffalo's corpse.

The giant animal's hooves were clamped around the neck of the cobra in an iron-like death grip, which is probably why the cobra hadn't bled to death. The bleeding hadn't stopped its head from being torn in half, so it was a moot point anyways. Best guess is that the bouncer wouldn't have started the fight, only tried to break it up. So the cobra had tried to start something with…who exactly? Nick stood up and looked around. The alligators were in the wrong place for the bouncer to have drug or been drug this far left of the stage, there had to be something or someone else for the snake to be there. Nick sauntered over to the where the cats and dogs were lying.

Nick had a healthy suspicion this would be the winner since the two species had always held violent animosity towards each other. The cats not having any ID was suspicious, but the near the corners of the club a table had been overturned, scattering several shot glasses and an empty milk bottle was a convincing argument that the brawl had definitely started here. Either the Doberman had shoved it or the cats had flipped it. Nick noticed something on the wall behind where he thought the cats had been sitting. It looked like something white had been thrown across the wall. The color had faded but near the floor the stain still held a pale color...another job for forensics. Nick took a closer look at the two Doberman. The suits they wore were nice, but the cufflinks and tie bars…those were positively unique. From his time on the streets Nick knew how to size up a mark, and these guys said two things with their appearance: I've got money, and don't fuck with me. Kind of a NFL vibe in all honesty, these would be hard passes for him and Finnick. He deftly plucked the less bloody tie bar from the skewered corpse and examined it. It had a button on it with a stylized letter that he knew all too well. From his back pocket he pulled a small plastic evidence bag (trick he learned from Judy) and deposited the bagged tie bar back into his pocket before saying goodbye to Officer Cong and leaving the club for good this time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Nick & Judy~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nick joined Judy as she finished interviewing the gazelle. The notes on her notebook looked thick to say the least.

"After the cobra bit Jack everyone went after everyone. I saw another cat and dog go down not even seconds before the first Doberman had hit the ground, one of the alligators had been killed where he was sitting, he didn't even know…" As Judy was busy writing in her notepad, Nick couldn't help think she was compartmentalizing rather well given the shock she had just had. And in this case she was overcompensating with note taking.

"Wait a second. You're saying two teenage cats were able to get the jump on three adult Doberman Pinschers? That doesn't sound possible." The gazelle looked rather confused for a moment.

"Oh! Yes, there were three cats, not two." Judy glanced at Nick.

"Nope, there are only two cat corpses in there. It looks like we may yet have two survivors." Judy was grinning when the gazelle spoke, now she was positively beaming.

"Not just survivors Nick. I think that cat may have been the instigator."


	3. Chapter 3

Within a few more minutes the CSI team and a number of other patrol cars had arrived at the crime scene and had begun cordoning off the area in bright yellow tape. Once the scene was under control of the CSI's, Nick and Judy hopped in their squad car.

"We don't know who the cats are yet. No ID on either of the two in there. For now our only convenient witness is in the hospital." Judy nodded and flipped through her notepad until she came across the line she was looking for.

"That's the Zootopia Medical Center on 1468 Aardvark Avenue." Judy flipped the notebook shut and tucked it back in her breast pocket. "Well here's to hoping he's alright, because if he's DOA –"Nick pulled the evidence baggy from his back pocket "–our next stop is Tundra Town. Both the Doberman were wearing these, with matching cuff links." He tossed the baggy in Judy's lap. She examined the tie bar through the plastic of the bag and found the engraved 'B'.

"Mr. Big?" Judy's mind was racing. Which for a rabbit wasn't all that out of the ordinary. "The dancer, Ms. White, she said the owner didn't like her talking to the Doberman. They were apparently regulars at the club and the owner knew about their affiliation. I think our next stop should be Mr. Big regardless." Nick groaned. "You're right…but for the record, I think you fraternize way too much with a known crime boss. Anyways, how are you holding up? You look like you're doing a lot better." The bunny fell quiet.

Judy wasn't really sure what she was feeling. Back in the club, all of her instincts had been telling her to run; involuntarily adrenaline had pumped through her body, speeding up her breathing and heart rate. She had seen blood before. All too vividly she remembered her encounter with Gideon back at the festival. But this was on a completely different scale. This was…primal. She had had some ideas of what it may have been like before the idea of unity had been introduced. As shocking as it was at the time, Judy realized that the adrenaline had made her emotionally over reactive. Some part of her understood that this was part of her job. To protect the animals around her, she would have to face down these kinds of horror shows and come out on top.

"I'll be okay. Just shocked is all. That was my first time seeing an animal dead of violence. I knew that it would be a part of the job, but I always thought it be more…argh! Bleh! Blood!" She yelled, laughing a hard belly laugh that even got Nick chuckling. That had been their little stunt that had closed the Night Howler case for good, and remained an inside joke between the two of them ever since. Nick wiped a tear from his eye. "Well, I'm glad, you had me worried there carrots. I know you're a tough bunny, but I worry about you sometimes." Judy shot him a nasty glare. "I can't help it!" He shrugged, feigning submission. "You're too important to not worry about. Anyways, we still have about five minutes before we get to the hospital. Have you thought about where you want to get dinner yet?" The glare melted from the bunny's face as quickly as it had arrived. Tonight was date night, something she and Nick had started doing ever since they had started working together. Nick knew the city like the back of his paw, so she would suggest a type of cooking and Nick would know a place that matched exactly what she asked for.

"I'm feeling something light and exotic. What do you got for me?" Nick flashed a toothy grin back at her. "Alright let's see, exotic menu items, relatively light fare…how about sushi? I know this great place on 78th street that has a master sushi chef."

The city hospital was an older building, having been built decades ago with brick and mortar back when they were the favored construction material. The building had been somewhat updated since, but it was simply too large to tear down without disrupting city health services significantly. Nick vaguely recalled a proposal to build a modern hospital to replace ZMC. But this is where their witness had been taken. Nick and Judy showed the information desk their badges and asked for the patient's room number and were directed to the fourth floor. They were stopped again at the nurse's desk and again flashed their badges before asking for a room number and status update. The Cheetah manning the nurse's desk looked up the patient record on his computer.

"It looks like your dog is in room 430, which will be all the way at the end of the hallway. He's just come out of surgery for the lacerations, so please don't get him riled up or he'll tear his stitching." The two detectives made their way to the end of the hallway where they were stopped again by a large track suited polar bear.

"Heeeeey Fredo, how are ya?" Nick took point with the bear. Judy knew the fox had some sort of relationship to the bears in Mr. Big's service, and since Judy had saved Mr. Big's daughter from being killed he was suddenly back in favor with the shrew. The polar bear snorted, or maybe breathed heavily, it was hard to tell with the larger animals sometimes.

"Nick…good to see you my friend. However I doubt you are here for a social call. I'm afraid the patient is in no condition to speak, and his employer Mr. Big in his benevolence has asked me to ensure no one but medical personnel disturb him. I must ask you to return at a later time."

"If the patient is on medication after a particularly intense surgery, his statements would be inadmissible in court. A witness has to be in a sober state of mind before a statement can be legally submitted to a court as evidence." The polar bear looked somberly at the tiny bunny. Were it not for her ears, Judy realized she was no taller than this creature's knee. The silence dragged on.

"Look Fredo, we're not here for you pal. We already know the cats started the fight and we honestly don't care if Mr. Big hires private security for his businesses, but we do want to find the cat that caused the slaughter. You gonna let us in or what big guy?" Fredo sighed and stepped into the room, holding the door open. "Thank you Fredo!" The duo approached the bed where the Doberman was already awake.

"The fuck are you two? Fredo why are these cops in my room?" The dog snapped, before a fit of coughing and wheezing smacked his aggression back into the soft comfy hospital pillows.

"Floki, calm yourself. Mr. Big would be most displeased if you hurt yourself in some foolishness. These detectives are close friends of Mr. Big, the rabbit is _the_ rabbit. They know the cats started the fight, tell them what you can about the little pussy." Floki looked confused at first by the bear's vaguery before eyes widened and he realized who he was speaking to.

"Oh, but where are my manners? I am Floki, Ms. Hopps I have heard a lot about you. Thank you for saving Fru Fru's life, truly everyone in Mr. Big's service is grateful to you." Floki paused to regain his strength. The Doberman was used to being strong, being weak and sickly tore at his very person. The two were incompatible and it showed. "Now, as for those cats…I've never seen them before. They looked like any thugs you'd see walk into a dive like the Lone Digger, which is the type of clientele me and my boys were paid to keep out of that shitty little tit joint." Judy blushed at this last comment and unconsciously held her notepad a little higher. Nick, observant as ever, laughed silently.

"We may have…antagonized them a little, just to give them the hint to beat it. Nothing illegal!" Floki raised his voice, pointing at the bunny. "Anyways, one of the kitty cats gets his panties in a bunch over some spilt milk and flips the table. Well, disorderly conduct is why we get paid. Paulie steps up to the cat and before he can even try to defuse the situation the little pusses slashes his throat open. Right there in the middle of the club. Enzo jumps the little fucker and tears his throat out around the same time I get the ever-loving shit cut out of my chest. I noticed from the ground that the rest of the patrons had gone fucking haywire before I passed out from blood loss. Sorry sweetheart –" He smiled lasciviously at Judy "–but I don't have anything else. They didn't say anything, the only thing I know about them is that no normal pussy cat is that strong or fast, and there's only one place I know where you can find those types of kitty cats. Central Park."

A word of thanks to those of you who have followed and favorited and reviewed this story so far. I know the chapters aren't very long, but I want to thank you for being an active part of the community. You're the reason I keep writing, and keep trying to write longer chapters. So thank you, and see you tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

**Nick & Judy**

After saying their goodbyes to Floki and Fredo, Nick and Judy made their way to Central Park. Zootopia was divided into several boroughs: the Meadowlands, Outback Islands, Tundra Town, Sahara Square, Rainforest District, Little Rodentia, and Savanna Central. Central Park was located in Savanna Central, but in reality it served as a microcosm of all the different biomes represented in the larger city on a smaller scale. It was also one of the biggest tourist draws in the city, for those who wanted to see the entire city in only a few days. During the day, Central Park was packed full with elk, deer, big cats, bear, canines of all breeds, and many more. At night however, when all of the tourists went home and the crowd died down, Central Park became a dangerous place to be. Wilding gangs ran rampant, harassing all and preying on the lone travelers braving the park after dark. Unfortunately for them, by the time they were back in their squad car it was still only about noon so the two detectives decided to move forward with their plan and drove to Tundra Town to see Mr. Big.

Mr. Bigs' house was on Long Island, connected to the mainland by two bridges crossing the icy water at the extreme ends of the landmass. Mr. Big had purchased a nice house in the center of the island along with the other four houses leading to it from the main road. He and his wife lived in the farthest building from the road, while his daughter and his late grandmamma lived in the two houses closest to his. One was given to his consigliere, and the last was used to house his top button animals. All of these were surrounded by privacy fences and shrubbery, and capped with a stone and wrought iron gate guarded by two polar bear. Nick and Judy had just exited the bridge leading onto Long Island and they could already sense something was amiss. Large burly polar bears in groups of two were leaning on long black cars all along the road to Mr. Bigs' compound.

"Well at least we know something's going on." Nick said. He was nervous. He had seen this kind of thing before, way back when he was a kid. If his instincts were right, life in Zootopia was about to get pretty bad. He recalled the night his father hadn't come home from work, instead the animal at the door was a wolf in ZPD uniform with his hat in hand, followed by his mother crying a lot and telling him to go to bed. Things were about to get very bad in Zootopia indeed if Mr. Big was this nervous. Judy looked confused, but didn't press the matter.

As the squad car pulled into Mr. Bigs' driveway, the two saw that a long black car was blocking the gate usually only barred by a heavy chain fence. Judy surreptitiously noted the second story windows on the two houses closest to the gate were open. Both of the polar bear guards approached the squad car, one on either side of the front cabin. Nick rolled down his window.

"Hey Nick. Now is not good time for social calls. Someone attacked one of Mr. Bigs' properties and we fear the worst. I must ask you to leave." The bear now satisfied with his message, turned around and went back to his post before Nick had a chance to argue. The fox and the bunny sat in confused silence for a moment before Judy hopped out of the interceptor.

"Raymond! We need to speak to Mr. Big about the Lone Digger incident. We're investigating the cats that we think may have started the brawl." The polar bear turned heel and in one swift-if-bulky move was crouching down to Judy's level, where he was still two or three times her height.

"Ms. Hopps, I and all my men owe you a great debt for saving Fru Fru's life, but in this case I cannot help you. Mr. Big has told us, no one unrelated to family business is to be allowed inside until it's taken care of. Sorry paisan." The bear stood back up and returned to his post while a defeated and somewhat cold bunny stood shivering and silent in the snow, thinking. Nick didn't get out of the car, he was wondering what his amazing little bunny would come up with.

"That is truly a shame. I had thought Mr. Big valued the friendship of his daughter's savior more than anything. I'll have to make sure others know he only honors his word when it suits him..." Judy made a big show of pacing in front of the squad car as she spoke before slowly turning heel as her sentence trailed off. Raymond grimaced, and rolled his eyes before turning around and saying something into the radio he had hidden in his coat pocket. Judy slowly kept walking until the radio chirped again and the long black Cadillac pulled forward until it was no longer blocking the gate. Judy hopped into the squad car and Nick pulled into Mr. Bigs' driveway.

"Carrots, you're truly phenomenal…and a little too good at playing these mooks at their own game. You sure you never worked for the mafia before becoming a cop?" Judy laughed, but kept quiet. Nick looked at her curiously before hopping out of the car and entering Mr. Bigs nice but moderate home. He realized that Fru Fru's house and the late Grandmama Bigs' homes were larger in size, but the material and architecture of Mr. Bigs' home was nicer in a subtle way. Granite columns held up the second story balcony that also served as a porch, marble steps led up to the huge double front door, such nice things made the mafia boss's home look refined, much like the shrew himself. Judy and Nick quickly ascended the stair case and were escorted into the corner office Mr. Big had all family business handled in. The duo settled into the deep leather chairs situated across from the walnut desk and waited for Mr. Big to be presented. Shortly, Mr. Bigs' personal bodyguard and consigliere Koslov entered the room. However he was not carrying his hands clasped together as he usually did, rather instead sat down in the large, comfortable chair behind the desk facing his guests.

"Officer Hopps, it's always a pleasure. I apologize for his absence, but Mr. Big is involved in the daily operations of his business and is at the moment unable to meet you directly." Nick held up a paw to interrupt.

"Thanks for the warm welcome, but we need to speak to Mr. Big, not his Kevlar..." The bear glared at Nick until he was silent.

"You southern types forget the old country ways so quickly. I am Mr. Bigs consigliere and as such I have the authority to act on his behalf in small matters such as these. Now if you don't mind, why are you here?" Judy watched the exchange quietly before jumping in.

"Last night we responded to a mass killing at a strip club called the Loan Digger; ten dead, two of whom are employees of Mr. Big. We want to know why they were there and what they were doing." The polar bear looked to be lost in thought for a moment before gently setting his hands on the desk.

"Yes…the Lone Digger titty bar. There was this really sweet gazelle who turned tricks there…a shame. Yes, Mr. Big owns that property and leases it to the bar owner, a friend of his from up North. That area has had some problems recently, so Mr. Big offered to have some private security hosted there to make sure his friend's property was taken care of. Ten dead you say? The worst attack yet." Judy cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you mean it's the worst attack _yet_? This is the first large scale crime we've seen in a long time."

"You saw how things are outside just now. Someone has been attacking Mr. Bigs' investments, of which I am unable to discuss the details. The police reports and investigations you already have access to." Something Koslov had said was bothering Nick, and he had to ask before the conversation got any further away from the phrase.

"Koslov you said the gazelle who worked there turned tricks? You mean she was a hooker?" Nick did his best to modulate his voice to be as pleasing as he could, and for once it paid off.

"The girl is parted, yes? Then the truth about her can't hurt her. Yes, the girl was a professional in the world's oldest profession. God forbid such a natural thing be paid for and before you ask, no. That was her decision to get into. Mr. Big finds such debauchery deplorable. Now is there anything else I can help you with? I need to get back to my work." Koslov gestured to a rather large stack of law books on his desk, clearly pulled from the several shelves of case law books pushed against the far wall. Judy glanced at Nick and shook her head, which he copied.

"Thanks for your time Koslov. Please pass our gratitude on to Mr. Big, and tell Fru Fru I loved that new dress she sent me on SnapCat!" Judy said before leaving the room. Nick made to follow her, but Koslov grabbed his wrist. The old bear was deceptively quick and quiet as a mouse as he whispered into the Nick's ear. The fox struggled initially, but then relaxed. The bear let him go and returned to his desk, this time pulling out a pair of eyeglasses and opened the topmost law book to a dog eared page. Nick looked at the bear for a second more before leaving after his bunny.

Back in the squad car, Judy had pushed the start button and unlocked the driver's side door and was just starting to wonder where the Fox had gotten to when he exited the house. He was scowling, and his hands were jammed into his pockets. Judy's nose twitched. Something was up. Nick hopped into the driver's seat and threw the car into reverse before pulling out of the compound. Judy waited for him to say something, but as they crossed the bridge leaving Long Island still in silence she knew she would have to ask. Right as she opened her mouth to do so, Nick finally spoke up.

"We need to go see that gazelle tomorrow. If she was working as a hooker and picking up clients at the strip club, then that would make the attack a deliberate strike aimed to start a war with Mr. Big. Whoever was there didn't kill her, which makes me think that they want her to work for them. Classic mob war strategy; take out your rivals money generating operations and replace them with yours."

Judy was expecting him to say something about why he was in such a bad mood, but realized he would talk about it in good time. Her feminine instincts told her to let him have some space. For now, she decided to focus on the task at hand.

"I agree. With her primary place of work out of commission, she'll go wherever she started uh…turning tricks…" The bunny began to blush, and silently thanked god Nick was too focused on driving in the poor weather to notice. "I have her address in my notebook. We can go there and find out where she used to work. That will give us two leads to follow; Central Park, and whichever corner she gives us." By the time they had finished discussing the case Nick had finally entered the tunnels leading into Savanna Central. With the warmer climes, his mood seemed to have lifted as well.

"Exactly. Who said bunnies were dumb?" He chuckled lightly as they passed through Savanna central and pulled into the ZPD Station parking. "Let's submit our report to Chief Bogo, then we can get cleaned up and then go grab dinner. Sound good?" Judy smiled at Nick sweetly.

"Sounds great."


	5. Chapter 5 - XXX

Nick had changed into his civilian clothes and had a taxi take him to Judy's apartment complex. On the way there he called a friend of his who worked for Zagat. After asking about the otter's family, Nick asked the otter if he would be able to arrange for a table at the sushi place to be available for two at 7pm, which the otter was grateful to oblige. Nick said his thanks and hung up right around the time the taxi pulled up next to Judy's apartment. He sent the bunny a text and was told she was coming down. He asked the taxi to wait for him, and got outside to wait for his partner, wondering if she'd dress up again tonight. An answer was quickly provided him when the rabbit came hopping down the stairs in a seductively revealing slit skirt and light blue dress shirt opened down to her chest. She grinned when she saw the look of consternation on his face. _"Tonight will be the night."_ She thought proudly.

"Hey you sly fox!" She said, cheerfully feigning innocence. "Let's see this sushi joint, I'm starving." Nick quickly shook his head.

"Yeah, well I hope you came prepared because Chef Ji-roh is straight from Japan ready to show us ignorant big city types what real Japanese cuisine is all about." Nick suavely regained his normally composed persona and opened the taxi door for the bunny. It took everything he had to not reach out and touch her when she pulled herself into the taxi seat. Within a few minutes they found themselves outside of a modern looking pagoda roughly two stories high, with a worn green roof and a small koi pond bisected by a curved wooden bridge.

"Wow, this place looks amazing." Judy was astonished by the amount of detail and concern that had gone into producing the traditional feeling of the restaurant. Nick, looking at her, agreed. A lean deer greeted them at the door by name and led them to their specially prepared corner booth on the first floor. They had a fantastic view of the sushi prep area where the leopard cat Jin-Roh was hard at work, deftly slicing fish and vegetables into the appropriate size and shape, while his assistant prepared the rice and seaweed wraps and cooked tempura.

"I don't even want to ask how you got us a table here. This place is packed!" Nick grinned, making a mental note to send the otter responsible for the evening something nice. He ordered them drinks and let the night take its course. Judy seemed to love the restaurant, she read through the description of each and every sushi option and finally settled on a vegetarian Heaven and Hell platter meant to evoke the senses of Heaven and Hell by the clever use of scorching spices and the soothing sweetness of fresh fruit. Nick settled for a more traditional mackerel dish that he knew he would enjoy. He had ordered them a bottle of sake that he had been recommended by the otter and poured the two a healthy dose of the delicious rice wine. Judy stood up and held out her cup to Nick.

"This place is amazing Nick, but not as amazing as you, because without you I'd have nothing. To you, Nick." Nick held up his cup to match her toast but pulled back before the china clinked.

"Carrots, without you I'd still be hustling popsicles on the sidewalk to a bunch of robot chipmunks…to us. Banzai!" With his piece said, the two clinked cups and downed their respective drinks, which he immediately refilled.

"Seriously Judy, I owe you a lot. You're the first person to see me for who I could be, not what I was pretending to be. That means a lot to me." Judy swirled the sake in her cup in a gentle circular motion, trying not to look as nervous as she felt. At work, she did a good job, no a fucking great job of not allowing her feelings for Nick to come to surface. But bottling up like that frustrated her to no end, especially at night. She couldn't live like that forever, and so she had finally committed to making a move. The only question she had was if Nick wanted her the way she wanted him. Their first assignment after they had started working together officially she had said that she loved him, but before he could say anything else they had almost been killed by a sloth in a sports car and they had never talked about it again.

"Well, you believed in me. You had my back when no one else did, and you've always supported me even after I acted like an idiot."

"Well, you were too cute a girl for me to let you cry like that." Judy's eyes went wide with surprise, which Nick quickly noticed and grimaced.

"Well would you look at that, Gazelle's here." Nick coughed, immediately trying to recover. Judy let him save face, but felt encouraged. Maybe there was a chance after all. She took a sip of the sweet rice wine as the waitress interrupted their conversation to set down two porcelain trays of sushi in front of them. Judy's tray was alternating between a blackish green and a cantaloupe orange tint. Nick's dish was a simple progression of several cubes with several colored morsels pressed into the rice. Nick aggressively popped a cube into his mouth and groaned.

"Oh man, you definitely don't want to try this." Judy grinned at the provocation but didn't take the bite. She had the initiative for the moment; maybe she could play it to her advantage. She chewed a sweat piece of sushi, relishing the bursts of flavor masterfully worked into the piece. That leopard cat really knew his business well. She nodded, eyes closed. She had the momentum, now was the best time to push.

"So if I'm so cute why is it you've never invited me to your apartment?" By the sounds the fox made she swore she might have killed him. He thumped his chest a few times as his ears flattened themselves against his head. Not a good sign. Furious with herself, Judy took what she hoped was a casual sip of sake.

"Well…I guess I didn't think you'd want to. I didn't want to push…" He let the sentence trail off, praying to the gods that she would pick up on the signal.

"Well now I'm intrigued. Don't tell me you live in a mansion and have been getting off on making me live in some tiny box of an apartment!" Judy laughed lightly, trying to mask her embarrassment at mentioning something so base at a dinner table.

"Since you insist, Carrots, I will show you my apartment in all its glory. After dinner." The fox grinned, watching the tiny bunny intently from behind his sake cup.

Nick led the bunny up to his flat. It was a conservative place, a decent sized kitchen and living room with a large window overlooking the intersection in front of the building that also gave a fantastic view of the city street. She guessed that he had gotten it with the money he made before they had met, when there was no telling how long the money would keep coming in. Nick left her to take off her jacket to mix them drinks before settling on the couch just below that magnificent view, dangerously close to the little bunny. Judy took a sip of the bourbon and felt a little of the bravery she had had at the restaurant flood back into her cheeks. This was where she had wanted to be, ever since their first day working together as partners on the beat. For a year she had gone to bed alone in her tiny apartment, staving off the daily torturous desire she felt burning between her legs, dreaming about having him. She had faced down a savage jaguar, more recently seen absolute carnage at its most bestial state, but those paled in comparison to failing here. The struggle about whether or not to even attempt what she was now doing had taken her months to overcome, the risks were great indeed. If he spurned her, everything they had been would be broken. She took another sip of bourbon. Nick sat his drink down and she thought he was about to make a move on her when he clapped his hands together and some soft music started playing from a stereo system he had set up next to the TV.

"Alright Carrots, you've seen my little den. What do you think?" The fox gestured towards the room as the music picked up pace.

"It's nice. Nicer than I expected." Judy sat the drink down on the minimalist coffee table and folded her hands in her lap chastely. Nick noticed all of this quietly. Not for the first time since she had met him, she wished she could read his thoughts.

"Well, it has all the modern conveniences a bachelor fox could ask for. Clap activated entertainment system, a fully stocked refrigerator and bar, a view of the city great for distracting pretty girls long enough to really look at them, and a comfortable bedroom with mood lighting. Here-"He stood up suddenly, tumbler still in hand. "-let me show you." He strode into the bedroom, leaving the bunny sitting on the couch.

Where she had been nervous before, now her legs trembled weakly. Judy couldn't back down now. She cautiously stood up and unconsciously let her excitement show as she hopped to the bedroom door and paused for a moment. Nick's paw appeared from behind the door and pulled her into the room and into his arms. It was then that the paper thin pretense of friendship was discarded for something _more._ She felt his lips on hers; he tasted like the caramel bourbon she had been drinking. She felt his paw sliding up between her thighs, heard the material of her skirt pushed aside, felt his large paw between her legs pulling aside her silk panties to caress her sex. She kissed him deeply and wrapped her tiny hands around his neck while he undid his trousers, then he put his hands on her butt and lifted her. She wrapped her toned legs above his waist and felt his tongue in her mouth. She sucked gently on him, which put him over the edge. She could feel his need pass between her thighs, and released her right hand to guide him into her. Her hand wrapped around a thick tapered shaft of pulsing heat that she pointed anxiously into her own wet sex.

Nick's first unbelievably pleasurable thrust into her made her gasp and hiked her legs up almost to his ears. She squeezed his shaft, resituating herself before letting go to his lightning quick thrusts into her. She lost count after twenty, letting her body react to the torturously deep penetrations. In a series of jerky motions her pelvis shifted upwards with the thrusts and she felt her body shatter into her first orgasm. Her body convulsed and edged Nick over the finish line and she felt his hardness break, and the subsequent flood of semen deep in her trickling out. Nick fell down backwards on the bed and Judy fell forward onto his chest with an obscene _shlick_ as he exited her. She could hear his heart hammering beneath the soft orange and white fur and only just began to hear his heavy breathing comingling with hers like incense at a temple. She felt the sticky spreading around her groin but didn't bother going to the bathroom, instead squeezing her legs together. That was hers, she didn't care for anything else except that she had finally done it and with the only person she had wanted to do it with. And, she imagined, with someone who wanted her just as badly.


	6. Chapter 6 - xxx

When Nick woke up, the little bunny was lightly snoring away on chest. He was too comfortable to get up and completely unmotivated to wake up his lover who was still straddling him from their mutual climax the night before. The memory flooded back to his consciousness and he couldn't stop himself from grinning. He finally understood why his pal Finnick was so obsessed with virgins. The way she had come on to him was so enthusiastic he couldn't hold himself back. He felt the urge rising again and gently scratched the bunny's ears at the base of her head, very lightly massaging her scalp. He had fantasized about having her for months, and now here she was and she was everything he had imagined. Almost as a second thought he realized she hadn't gone to clean herself and the urge he had felt before was now throbbing in the open air. His ministrations on the rabbits head gradually woke her.

"Morning Officer Whiskers." She hadn't opened her eyes but grinned nonetheless. He kissed her on the forehead and she sat up, now poised on his abdomen. He felt her toned thighs just stroking him and she laughed groggily.

"Good morning to you too. Haven't had enough?" She pushed herself backwards until he was inside her again, and began excruciatingly gyrating her hips. She took him sensually, rather than with the frenzied passion of the previous night. He let her have her way with him, enjoying each rocking movement that sent gentle wave after wave of pleasure emanating from his groin like a shockwave. She began moving faster, an almost pained look spread over her face as she built the tempo. His paws unconsciously grabbed her waist as he met her thrust for thrust until his hips spasmed and he pushed his knot into her. Her legs began quivering as she collapsed on top of him, feeling his release inside of her. He lifted her chin with a claw to kiss her deeply. They lay in a comfortable silence, enjoying the afterglow of their second time together.

"You better watch it…a guy could get used to this." Nick had an arm around the bunny, the other propping up his head. The girl recovered like a goddess, almost as if she had an aura around her. Judy nuzzled her head into Nick's chest.

"Maybe I want him to." Judy said, and she meant it. Her fears from the day before had vanished completely. He wanted her. That's all that really mattered to her in that moment. He wanted her the same way that she wanted him. The other details could be dealt with…but not right now. Right now she was chiseling the moment into her brain forever. Nick, for his part could only grin and look at the bamboo ceiling fan lazily spinning above them. An hour later, or maybe a few minutes later, Judy's phone alarm went off signaling that it was 2am. With a groan the bunny picked herself up and slapped at the phone until the noise stopped, then sat on the corner of the bed.

"C'mon hot stuff, time to go." Nick sighed, but got out of bed still smiling. Nick left for the kitchen to brew some coffee while Judy composed herself in the bathroom. She took a quick shower, grudgingly giving up her second prize for the sake of cleanliness and after getting changed into a more functional outfit she had thoughtfully brought with her in her purse, the two were out the door.

The ride to Ms. White's address was a short one. It gave them just enough time to finish their coffee while it was hot, and to continue silently enjoying the other's presence. They both knew they would need to talk about the previous night and that morning, but not right now. It could wait. No reason to ruin the moment. Ms. White's place was about what they had expected: a short duplex with a generally run down appearance and cardboard covering a broken window. Judy couldn't help think that it was a miracle the building hadn't been foreclosed. A ram with tangled, matted fur and tatters for clothes snored loudly on the rickety front porch, which Nick and Judy cautiously stepped over and entered the building. The interior was not any better than the exterior, smelling of piss and vomit. The sickly looking yellow walls did little to alleviate the aura of illness in the building. The two quickly made their way to the top floor and the last door on the right. Without further ado, Nick rapped on the door. Judy could vaguely hear some older school hip hop playing through the door which cracked open ever so slightly, still chain locked shut. A young gazelle, maybe ten years old peaked out from underneath the doorknob.

"Hullo. Mom's busy, come back in thirty." The youngster began to close the door when Nick deftly stuck his boot in the door. The kid looked down and back up and started panicking, yelling for his mother. Judy heard muffled cursing and a worried voice drifting through the apartment. Suddenly Ms. White appeared in the cracked doorway, wrapped in a blanket and very obviously nude. She saw the two officers outside and groaned. Judy piped up.

"It's alright Ms. White, we're still investigating the club murders. But you may want to tell your boyfriend to go for a walk." Ms. White sighed and disappeared, this time Nick allowed the door to shut fully. A few moments later a water buffalo ducked under the door and snorted maliciously at the duo as Ms. White, now dressed in a t-shirt and oversized men's briefs let them into her apartment. Her apartment was a fairly small one bedroom with a worn down looking couch and greasy looking kitchen shoved off into one side, a small tv, and the bedroom door which was tightly shut. Ms. White's child was sitting on the couch fearfully watching the two sit at the dinner table.

"Well officers…what can I do for you this very early morning?" Unlike before, where Judy had found the gazelle somewhat comforting and amiable, she was now fairly upset. Nick and Judy were costing her money by taking up her time not on her back. Although by the look of things they may have spared her daughter a few minutes of psychological damage as his mother made their livelihood less than a few feet away.

"We know what you do for a living, and we know that doing so on your own is dangerous. Women in your situation usually have a… _manager_..." Nick paused to looked pointedly at the youth on the couch before continuing, "…to manage the clientele. At the Lone Digger you didn't need that, the clientele came to you. We think that whoever sent those cats to the club wanted you working for them again. So if you can give us any names of people who might want you under their thumb, we would love to pay them a visit. You'd be anonymous of course." Nick had such a nice, calming way of speaking. Judy found herself staring at him rather than watching Ms. White. She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. Pay attention. Ms. White sighed and lit a cigarette. Her son hopped up from the couch and lit her cigarette, and then quickly retreated to what Judy realized was his bed. Ms. White took a long drag and exhaled.

"Before I started working for the Lone Digger, I was mixed up with the wrong crowd, on the wrong things. I used what I had to get what I wanted and nobody seemed to care. The people I ran with were cool with it because that's how things went down in the wild. You follow the hierarchy; you can do whatever you want with whoever you want. Well, everyone wanted me, so the head honcho decided I was his and if anyone else wanted me they'd have to make an offering. That's how I got started. Wilding in central park with a tiger named Caesar." The gazelle paused to take another drag from her cigarette. Judy recalled vaguely coming across the name in several police reports in or near central park. She seemed to remember that most of the reports involved assault, bared fangs, and rape. The tiny bunny shivered unconsciously.

"Caesar was ambitious. He wanted more than to go wild across central park, he wanted actual power outside of the park. He had all these plans, but never seemed to bother attempting them. Then I had my boy and found less dangerous work. And now that that's gone, here I am. Fredo told me you were trustworthy, so please…help us." The pleading look in the gazelle's eyes was begging. Judy mistook her to mean in the duty sense, but Nick recalled what Koslov had said to him as he was leaving Mr. Bigs' house. Nick nodded silently in agreement.

"Alright Ms. White, don't worry. You've been a great help to us today, we'll be sure to remember it. If you should remember anything, please give me a call." The gazelle's head fell and she glumly agreed to call. Nick and Judy left her apartment and hailed a taxi back to the station to dig up any info they could find on their new lead, the tiger named Caesar who controlled Central Park.


	7. Chapter 7

I want to preface this with a quick thanks to the near 400 people who have read every chapter, the 36 people who are following this story, and the handful of folks who have given me positive feedback in the reviews. You guys are what keeps me up until the next chapter is finished.

Back at the station, Nick and Judy's shared office was covered in manila folders. They had asked Clawhauser to send them anything related to a POI known as Caesar and the Cheetah's chubby face had drooped. Now they knew why. Nick groaned and tossed another case file on the right side of his desk. They had spent several hours going through case file after case file, report after report, complaint after complaint, and while there was plenty of info mentioning this Caesar character, there was never anything relating to who he actually was. Which was absolutely mind boggling, given the number of shady activities he seemed to be involved in. One thing that became abundantly clear is that this guy was dangerous and had somehow become the head of all the wilding gangs in Central Park. King of the Jungle, and nobody seemed to have a clue about who he was.

"Damn it!" Nick growled angrily. Judy looked up from her tidy stack of files at the bristly fox. He usually had patience in spades; she wasn't sure why this was bothering him so much. She decided to take a break and set the case file she had open down.

"Well, these aren't going to go anywhere. Should I get under your desk and take your mind off of things?" The bunny had left her desk and had hopped onto Nick's, sitting directly in front of him with her foot on his crotch. He sat up a little straighter and pulled the cute little bunny into his lap. She laughed and kissed him lightly on the mouth.

"As much as I'd like to say yes, one of us has to maintain some professionalism. So that wasn't just a onetime thing?" The fox asked nervously. He had broken the seal; it was time to start _that_ talk. The way he sounded reassured her more than she would have guessed. It meant what was at stake was important to him too.

"Well…I don't want it to be. You're my best friend Nick." Judy could feel herself blushing and cursed her sensitive bunny heart. Traitor. She had worried night after night how she would say this, and despite all that she still sounded like a frightened rabbit, and not only that, she still hadn't been able to actually say how she felt. "As long as you do too…if you want it to be a onetime thing then I'll be okay with that too." She added, starting to sniffle. She had barely said two sentences and had gotten herself worked up. Marvelous. Nick laughed at his poor emotional bunny and kissed her forehead.

"You dumb bunnies, so emotional. Of course I want you." Judy actually did start crying this time; only Nick could see her smiling like an idiot. He kissed her wet cheeks and she giggled, wiping her cheeks dry.

"Carrots, I gotta say last night was amazing. You were everything I had thought you would be and then some." He had thought about her that way before? The thought made her blush even more, but she didn't try to hide it. The feeling was mutual. She wondered what other mutual feelings he shared with her but was waiting for her to act on.

"Oh so you've been thinking about me like that for a while?" She feigned shock, although she could tell Nick didn't buy it. In truth, she had been fantasizing about him since they had started working together. Judy couldn't count the number of nights she had thought about the fox while she pleased herself quietly, alone in her bed.

"Is it so surprising I think about you like that? A gorgeous bunny like you, who I've spent almost every day with for the better part of a year?" Nick threw on that shit-eating grin that Judy absolutely adored and she twisted herself around so she could cuddle herself up against his chest.

"Dumb fox. We should get back to work." Nick groaned, but Judy didn't want to push any further, not when they were in such a good mood. Besides, they really did need to get back to work. Judy grudgingly slipped off of the fox's lap and went back to her desk. Nick sighed and grabbed another case file from the stack on the left side of his desk.

It was another typical assault case: around midnight a call had come in about a hyena that had been assaulted around the playground in Central Park. As far as Nick was able to tell, the attack itself was fairly typical. Severe lacerations, signs of mauling, the victim had survived this time…there were a few pictures in the file that Nick leafed through. The first sets were of the immediate crime scene, then of the victim himself. _Hold the phone…_ Nick thought and studied the picture again. The victim was wearing a red and black jacket with a high collar, and red and white converse. Exactly the same outfit as the cat in the club was wearing. Nick went back to the case file and read the report again, searching for the victim's statement. And there it was.

'Victim stated he was assaulted by an animal named Caesar for disrespecting the pack, was summarily attacked and left for dead. Victim's left ear and eyeball had been severely damaged by a particularly deep laceration…' Nick wondered what else the victim had said and looked for a final victim statement but was unable to find one. Annoyed, Nick looked up the submitting officer's name on the report. When he found it, his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Judy, ever observant, gave the fox a questioning look.

"Hey Carrots, look at this and tell me we don't need to go talk to Chief Bogo." He brought the file to her desk and watched her read through it with lightning like speed before dropping a paw on the picture of the victim. That was enough for her, so the two took the file with them to Chief Bogo's office.

Judy knocked on the door and waited a few moments before the enormous Cape buffalo shouted for them to come in. Judy pushed mightily against the door and with some help from Nick the two were shortly seated in front of the equally massive desk that was occupied by a two thousand pound plus Cape buffalo.

"Detective Hopps, Wilde. Any updates on the club killings?" Nick slapped the case file down on Bogo's desk and tapped the cover. Nick didn't like their little visits with the Chief. Logically he knew that the Chief took a while to warm up to new recruits and even longer to trust them as a natural habit of his position, Nick resented the Chief for his disdain towards Judy when she had first joined the police.

"Yes actually. We're pursuing a lead that goes by the name of Caesar." Nick let the name sink in and was rewarded when the Chief's eyes narrowed dangerously. Judy watched the Chief carefully for any telling body language. She was a surprisingly good read when she wanted to be.

"You see, we have reason to believe that this Caesar character may be trying to initiate a gang war with the Big family, and as of now our only lead is the victim of an assault you responded to. But there's no victim statement, or method of contact. We were hoping you could put us in touch with the victim."

The Chief glared at Nick for a few more moments before sighing and pulling the case file towards him so he could read through it again. Nothing he saw there must have surprised him because he flipped it shut after a quick read through. The Chief took off his reading glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had the look of an animal wrestling with something.

"Alright you two, I want you to listen very carefully to what I'm going to say next because I won't be repeating myself." The Chief's thick outback accent usually amused Nick, but it only made the giant buffalo sound dangerous now. He unconsciously leaned forward in his seat.

"You're good cops. You're smart. You're seeing this case for what it really is. But let me give you some veteran advice: stay away from the gangs; let them sort it out amongst themselves. I can't officially tell you to shut the case, but I'll offer it to you as advice." Judy and Nick were both wide eyed. The Chief telling them to lie? To cover up a case when innocent animals had been killed? Judy was about to speak up and argue, but the chief held up a hand. "I can tell you where to find that hyena. Here." He ripped off a post-it note and handed the note over to Judy, who quickly memorized the address before handing it to Nick for safekeeping.

"Well unless you have a mafia tattoo you'll be showing us, I think we're gonna go." Nick glared at the Chief and slid off of his chair. Judy followed suit and the two headed for the door only to be interrupted by the Chief one last time.

"You two are good cops. Be careful. And talk to Clawhauser before you leave, he'll have something for you. Dismissed." With that, he ushered the two out of his office. The entire encounter had left Judy feeling off. As long as she had known the Chief he had been brunt, straight-laced and un-cowed by everything she had seen thrown at him. But there mere mention of Caesar's name had him on the defensive. Everything about the encounter had set alarm bells off in her head. The current Chief of police was afraid of this individual and whoever he represented. She was astounded that a simple gangster, no matter how dangerous, had the chief so rattled. Nick put a paw on her shoulder and that was all it took to let her know he shared her thoughts. The two headed to the lobby and per the Chief's request stopped by the front desk to talk to Clawhauser. The chubby cheetah got off the desk phone looking somewhat upset, a mood the duo were usually able to rid him of just by stopping by. This time there was no grin or almost girlish squeal to greet them.

"Oh, hey you guys." Nick leaned against the desk trying his best not to let on that anything was wrong for the sake of the big fluff ball.

"Heya Clawhauser, how's it hangin'? Bogo asked us to stop by and get something from you." This only seemed to exacerbate the cheetah's mood. He pulled a stack of two hard plastic cases from under his desk and separated the packages before sliding them towards Nick.

"Chief ordered these be issued to you guys. Please be safe." Clawhauser said as Nick took one of the cases and opened it, revealing a small revolver. Nick couldn't take his eyes away from the piece. It was a snub nosed stainless steel gun with a rubber grip, chambered in .38 special. He carefully picked the weapon up out of its case, finding it too small for his paw. When Judy saw what he had in hand her ears drooped. Nick quickly opened the other case and found a matching revolver of his own, slightly larger and chambered in .380 auto. Guns were rare in Zootopia, even for the police. Typically only SWAT used them, since the vast majority of the police work ZPD did could be solved with nonlethal force. If the Chief was issuing them weapons, then it meant he thought they would need them.


	8. Chapter 8

The ride from the station to the scribbled address on the post-it note was a long and quiet one. Even in the face of Nick and Judy's talk in their office, the weapons now snapped into their holsters weighed down on the mood. Zootopia police were typically strong enough to detain violent criminals with little risk to their own well-being, and didn't generally require lethal force to protect and serve. Where martial training and psychological techniques didn't prove sufficient, all officers had access to a variety of nonlethal means to assist in subduing rowdy citizens without putting them down; Tasers and tranquilizer darts proved more than enough for nearly every situation that required them. But at the extreme end of the scale there were situations where firearms were needed. Hostage situations, bank robberies, and shootings were typically met by SWAT officers trained to handle weapons with deadly accuracy. Very rarely were plainclothes detectives issued firearms. It was a right reserved for the Chief when he believed his officers would be encountering a potentially fatal situation, and it was this calculated risk that Chief Bogo had made for them that had Nick so worried.

While the Chief and Nick had a tenuous relationship at best, the buffalo adored Carrots. He may have initially doubted her, but he had been proven so mind numbingly wrong about his first impression of her that her subsequent successes after the night howler case cemented her in his mind as one of the sharpest most reliable officers in his command. Nick couldn't picture the bunny even holding the pistol, let alone using it. The two ideas meshed together about as well as milk and warm beer, violence just wasn't in her character. The Chief certainly knew that, or he was a worse judge of character than Nick imagined, although…he hadn't exactly proven himself when he gave Judy forty-eight hours to solve a missing persons case. Did he think she would rise up to the challenge? Nick would have laughed, were he not so worried. That cottontail would almost certainly die before she used that gun. Then Nick realized what the Chief meant by giving them both firearms. The fox ground his teeth in frustration. He hated being played.

The building located at the address was very obviously government housing row after row of identical brick multifamily units up and down the block. A few cats and skunks lounged around the steps of the corner units, warily watching the squad car pull onto their block. The attention their car had been given was quickly diverted to their phones, dialing numbers. Judy felt her nerves tensing like she was about to get into a fight. Her training taught her these hoods were just calling their dealers to let them know the police were in the area, but the hostility from all sides provoked a stronger sense of self-preservation. She felt positively wired. The building they parked in front of was devoid of thugs, but Judy saw a quick movement in one of the first story window sills that let her know they were expected. As she hopped up the concrete steps, Nick closely in tow behind her, the front door opened and an incredibly muscular leopard with a dreadlocked mane stepped onto the tiny concrete porch, closing the door behind it.

"Officers." The leopard crossed its arms and made a point of blocking the door.

"Good afternoon sir, we're looking for a hyena named Pacman. We're just here to ask him some questions."

"Packy? Let me get him." Nick raised an eyebrow then rolled his eyes as the leopard pulled out a flip phone and dialed a number.

"Pac. These cops are here to talk to you. Get your ass down here and get them off my porch. _Los soplones obtienen suturas._ " The burly cat snapped the phone shut and tucked it back in his pocket before crossing his arms again and waiting. A few seconds later the door opened again and their hyena slid around the cat to greet them. He half turned to face the cat, as if expecting it to leave, then grimaced when it didn't move, except to make a disgusted face.

"Heya coppers. What do you want?" Pacman's voice was scratchy and high pitched. The way his face seemed to move in several directions was more than a little unnerving. Judy found she couldn't look directly at the hyena's face. Instead she focused on a half-moon pendant he wore around his neck on a gold chain. Nick took the lead.

"You heard about that big slaughter at the tit joint? Any idea what that was about?"

"Nope."

"Feel like telling us about the night that happened?" Nick pointed to the hyena's face.

"I got in a fight at Central Park and lost. Didn't see who did it."

"You were wearing a red and black jacket that night. And white and red shoes. That just an outfit?"

"Yeah."

"So it's just a coincidence that three of the cats that started that slaughter at the Lone Digger were wearing the exact same outfit?" The hyena was finally caught off guard, and he wasn't alone in his surprised. The leopard looked mildly surprised as well. They gave each other a knowing glance, but didn't offer anything more. Judy couldn't stand it.

"Oh for carrots sake, we don't care about your reputation!" Judy felt angry. These animals were going to get more people hurt, all for the sake of their 'street cred'. "We need to know who is in charge of that gang or whatever it is you were a part of that gave you that injury and where we can find them." The hyena scowled at her, while the leopard slowly shook his head in embarrassment.

"Listen cutie, you've got that badge and that gun. Your reputation proceeds you, not many animals would even try to come at you. In your world, we're the problem. In our world, talking to you is the problem. Just by coming here you've already got these punks talking 'bout snitches and folk gonna get hurt sticking they noses in where they ain't wanted. Pacman told you what he knows, so unless you've got an arrest warrant, we're done here. Out of pity I'll tell you something to get you the fuck off my doorstep: _los lobos corren savejos._ " With that, the leopard stepped back and led the hyena back inside before shutting and locking the door.

"The wolves run wild. Well Carrots, what say you we get the hell out of here and figure out what that means?" Nick laughed nervously. Judy nodded and the two quickly left the porch and drove out of the ghetto.

Minutes later, back in a nicer, brighter part of Savanna Central, Judy finally felt able to breath normally again. She hated that after everything she had been through she still got scared so easily. Nick must have noticed because he pulled over and got her a carrot on a stick and some street meat for himself, a sort of tofu-like protein replacement that tasted best grilled. After an initial juicy bite, Nick leaned back in his seat.

"Alright Carrots, let's recap and think of some next steps." Judy finished off the carrot guilt-free and nodded.

"Alright. Three cats walk into a bar and everything inside winds up dead."

"Don't be like that. Not everything. Who survived? And why?"

"Ms. White I believe is alive because she is a vital part of the infrastructure to the revenue earning potential of the location." Nick grinned and gestured for her to continue.

"The waiter and the bartender, actually Floki and the other three customers reported to have been there were probably just lucky. Whoever ordered the attack wanted the place in tact or they would have sent more soldiers."

"Smart bunny. Ms. White and Floki both said we would find something in Central Park. A Caesar character that nobody knows or is willing to talk about, and a phrase, ' _los lobos corren savejo.'_ The wolves run wild. Another connection to the wilding clans?" Judy shook her head, unsure herself. It could just be another hint at the wilding gangs, or it could be something else entirely and they were missing the big picture.

"Well since we have basically nothing else to go on, I suppose Central Park is our next stop. It's worth mentioning that it'll just be a tourist trap until about 8pm when the crowd dies down, which gives us some time before we can expect anyone worthwhile to show up. Why don't we go for a walk while we wait for it to get dark?" Nick shrugged and slid out of the cruiser. Judy followed after him, tossing the carrot stick in a recycling bin.


	9. Chapter 9

I apologize for taking so long to update. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Central Park was a huge square in the center of Savanna Central split up into several biomes representative of the larger city: a lake with a long sandy beach occupied the southeastern corner of the park, the southwestern quarter of the park was filled with trees and rope bridges, monkey bars and other equipment that allowed animals to move around more freely. The Northeastern corner of the park was covered in rock tunnels that led to chilled underground pools with ice floes. The final Northwestern section of the park was simply a grass field sparsely dotted with trees for shade. In the center of the park the four paths leading from the gates to the center of the park became one circle around a concrete amphitheater with a raised platform for plays, concerts, or other performance shows.

A few entrepreneurial spirits had set up vendor stalls near this amphitheater selling handmade jewelry, food, toys, and newspapers. There were benches lining the pathways at comfortable intervals, and a few concrete tables with chess boards carved into them. An artificial river originates near the Northwestern corner of the lake, then lazily runs through the northern half of the park before cutting through the woods and feeding back into the lake. Arched wooden bridges spanned the river where the pathways crossed with it in their curious curving manner. Nick and Judy entered the park from the Western gate around 7:30pm. The two slowly walked towards the center of the park, taking in the beautiful day and observing the citizens going about their daily lives, and the day trippers experiencing the city for the first time. It was refreshing to see all these animals not acting suspicious or criminal, instead enjoying themselves and all the beauty the city had to offer. This was what Zootopia was all about: unity, peace, and prosperity…love, even.

Judy saw two otters passing by, holding hands. The girl didn't know it, but the he-otter was holding slightly back and gazing lovingly at the female. The bunny swooned, internally at least. She was all too aware that Nick was right beside her and would make fun of her if she acted like some ditzy bunny watching a rom-com. The otters passed and Judy looked towards the beach. There a few animals lounged on the sand, and a group of four coyotes were playing beach volleyball.

They were split into teams of two, one male and female to a team; one in blue shorts, the other team wore red. After a short volley, the team in red shorts scored, and the two coyotes cheered and kissed each other in celebration. Judy sighed and looked away from the happy couple. They were just crossing the bridge leading into the center landmass when Nick stopped to lean against the railing. Judy hopped onto the railing and sat beside him.

"Alright whiskers I know something's bothering you, so spill." Judy looked down past her feet at the river slowly passing by, occasionally with an animal or two either floating or in tiny boats.

"What are we doing Nick?"

"We're hunting down murderers, trying to protect innocent animals from getting hurt."

"Ass. Not what I meant. What are you and I doing, together?" Nick looked at the bunny with a genuine mask of surprise. Not even twenty four hours in and he was already having this breakup talk? He didn't think he was _that_ bad in bed.

"We're two adult animals who just had some really, really fantastic sex." Judy laughed, but her ears were still droopy. She rubbed one of her feet with the other almost unconsciously.

"So that's all that was?" Nick shot her a sharp glance. Ah. So that's what this was about. Now that he was certain that she wasn't bailing on him, he felt some of his usual confidence return.

"Well, us foxes, being the sly and crafty independent species that we are tend to be promiscuous in nature, and you certainly aren't my first-" Nick lied, watching the bunny's ears droop even further. Her nose twitched, but before she could say anything he continued "-but, if you want me, I wouldn't mind making you my only. Maybe even my last."

The bunny let a deep gasp of air she didn't realize she had been holding onto escape all at once. Nick was grinning ear to ear, but waited for Judy to speak.

"I knew I was good, but I didn't realize I was _that_ good. Sly Nick Wilde wrapped around my finger after one steamy evening?" Judy had perked up with her typical pep and seized the opportunity to get back at the fox for leading her on. She wondered briefly if she really wasn't his first, then quickly decided she didn't care. She was his now.

"Hey rabbit, I don't know if you've ever woken up with a smokin' hot girl laying on you wearing only what god intended, but let me tell you it is a wonderful feeling and it would be insanity to not want to repeat the experience with said girl."

"Well fox, if you would like to repeat said experience with this bunny you'll need to make up to her for making her think she was a one night stand, especially since she's wanted you to be more to her for over a year now." Nick was trying to think of a witty comeback when he processed what her last sentence meant.

"Alright, since we're being honest, this fox has wanted that bunny ever since the Rainforest District incident. And-"He picked the rabbit off of the railing and set her down on the bridge. "-he is determined to make up for lost time and all perceived slights, whether real or imaginary." He poked her nose before walking towards the center of the park. Judy grinned girlishly and skipped after him.

"There is something I was wondering about though Carrots. Are your parents gonna be okay with us?" Nick watched the rabbit carefully. Despite his recent run of luck, there were two big questions that needed answering. The first was just what he said; would her parents be alright with her being romantically involved with a fox, possibly long-term? Nick knew her parents were country folk and pretty conservative in their values. Nick recalled a dinner date they had been sharing where she had told him how one of her brothers had come out as gay. Her dad had gotten so mad he wasn't able to even talk to the boy, relying on her mother to communicate his displeasure to the son before asking him to move out of the house. Nick was worried that if Judy told her parents that she might get disowned, and he knew that would devastate her. Rabbits are social creatures, not being able to see her three-hundred some odd brothers and sisters would cut her out of the closest social circle she had ever been a part of. For her part, Judy seemed to lose herself in the question.

Judy remembered how her parents had reacted when Peter had come out of the closet. He had wound up making a huge scene, yelling a lot and then moving in with his boyfriend after dad had kicked him out of the house. She also recalled that her dad had gotten over the initial shock of Peter's revelation, and while he wasn't allowed to move back in (nor would he have), he was eventually invited back to holiday get-togethers and received more or less with welcome. But even so, Peter was with another bunny. Nick wasn't even the same species as her, and on top of that mountain, he was everything her father was afraid of: a predator, a smooth talker, a city slicker, and his daughter's boyfriend.

"Honestly, I don't know. My dad is so straight-laced...super old fashioned, and Mom isn't much better. But they know you." Judy tried to brighten the mood with some positive energy. "Maybe they think of you as a friend instead of a big scary fox. That might help them come to terms..." Judy let out an exasperated sigh. "What about your mom? Will she be alright with me?" Nick's mother had been widowed when Nick was very young, which is partially why he had taken to the streets at the age of twelve. Every time Judy had met her the old fox droned on and on about grandkids and vixen this that and the other.

"Don't worry about mom, she's more progressive than her general appearance would imply. As long as I'm happy then she doesn't complain. What parent could?" Nick flashed that unique Wilde smile that Judy had only seen pulled off so perfectly by a certain fox. She grinned and touched his hand briefly before letting herself fall back into her usual stride. The touch seemed to put Nick a bit more at ease. Nick's mother was close to the second question he needed answers to, but he kept his mouth shut for the moment and instead tried working out the problem in his head as they walked.

Genetically it was impossible for him to impregnate Judy. Their reproductive cells just didn't work together. Since that was the case, how would they go about having kids? Would they even have kids? Judy had well over three-hundred brothers and sisters. Although the thought of that many hybrid fox-bunnies running around was somewhat arousing, he knew it was an impossible fantasy. If Judy wanted to be a mother, there were really only two ways he could think of and both of them were far above the paygrade of two relatively new detectives. Uninvited, Nick recalled what the polar bear Kosolov had whispered to Nick before he pushed the thought from his mind.

As soon as the unbidden thought had departed, the lamp posts flickered on, providing dull yellow illumination against the coming darkness. Reflexively Judy began walking closer to Nick, close enough to touch...all thought of polar bears and little pointy toothed rabbits went out the window like dirty dishwater used to go out the kitchen window.

"Before it's time to start actually working why don't you tell me about these wilding clans? I've read a little about them, but I want a street perspective."

"Alright...so the big thing about wilders is that they are an extreme naturalist group."

"Please tell me they believe in wearing clothes."

"Ha! Lucky for us, most do. Not all, but most. Anyways, wilders are different from the natural club we went to in that instead of focusing on relaxing and appearances, they prefer to act like animals. Predators stalk prey, prey gang up on predators, and they're a bit of a swinger's group too because rumor has it that they will screw anyone dumb enough or slow enough to get caught. Whether they want to-" Nick emphasized the pause"- or not. Rape was a normal thing in our ancient past Whiskers. We've evolved past it...these beasts haven't. Generally speaking there are very few prey animals that join in, for obvious reasons. There's usually not a central leader, the chiefs maintain a relatively continuous state of 'war' over territory and so on. According to Ms. White they have a king now, this 'Caesar' character who has turned the clans into a gang. Prostitution at least, judging by the attack on Mr. Big's property they're trying to muscle into protection, or real estate maybe."

"No…I don't think so. Central Park is the only place wilding has been reported with any consistency. Moving out of that area would get them arrested. There has to be an ulterior motive for them to leave their 'safe zone' for hostile territory. We need to find out what that is, and who here is responsible for ordering the attack. Thanks for the perspective though, it was…enlightening." All of the sudden, Judy felt scared. Up until tonight she had never worried about being sexually assaulted or raped before, not as a direct threat to her person. Now, she began to pay a little more attention to her surroundings. She understood why the Chief had issued them weapons, and in fact it made her feel somewhat safer. She would've considered turning back, except with Nick beside her she realized even in the face of such danger she felt curiously secure. They always kept each other safe, this case was no different. Judy looked at Nick and was somewhat disappointed to see him texting. He shoved the phone back in his pocket and caught the bunny glaring at him.

"What? I had to let Clawhauser know where we were. So he can have people nearby…just in case." Judy was still frowning, but she knew he was right. It would probably make the Chief feel better having a patrol or two nearby. The two found themselves near the southern gate when they heard the first howl.

"Timber wolves. Of course they're here." Nick groaned, but Judy strained to listen. The first howl sounded as if it were in the woods, when three more howls joined the first from the three other cardinal directions. Then, Judy and Nick could hear other animals join in, although at shorter intervals. Judy was able to make out a few yips and yowls amongst a number of roars and the howls. Judy felt the hair on her neck stand up.

"I suppose that means the wilding hour is upon us."


	10. Chapter 10

A muscular shirtless leopard was waiting for them on the bridge leading into the park. His arms were crossed, cutting an intimidating figure against the dim lighting of the lamp posts. As Nick and Judy approached the bridge, they could hear snarling and yapping on both sides of them, just out of sight. The two were shortly ushered to the leopard, who watched them with a fierce intensity. His voice was a smooth but commanding tone; that of one used to being listened to and obeyed.

"You're not welcome here. It would be advisable for you to turn back now."

"Or what? You gonna kill two police officers?"

"Wouldn't dream of it. Just telling you it would be in your best interest to leave."

"Go tell Caesar we want to talk to him. Unless he's too scared to talk to a bunny." The leopard's hackles rose, but fell into an odd palpitation that Judy realized was actually silent laughter. The leopard may have been laughing, but his smile was a mask. There was only the same cold fury in its eyes that had watched them enter the park during his sacred time.

"No one summons Caesar. If you want to talk to him, you'll have to find him." The big cat playfully scratched his chin. "Last I heard he was going to be hunting the woods today. You should check there. Or was it the caverns?" Now his laughter turned cruel. "I forget. But I'm sure you'll be just fine, what with being a fox and a cute little bunny and all." Judy felt her blood start to boil, but was able to keep her anger in check. He was trying to provoke her, make her see red. She would need to be mindful of her surroundings here, and with the realization came serenity. Judy brushed past the big leopard with Nick following closely behind. The leopard watched the two pass him before leaving the other side of the bridge and disappear into the trees.

"Judy…we need to be careful here. We don't know what these animals may be capable of. We shouldn't be provoking them unless we can help it." Nick's voice was a whisper, but in his effort to be discrete only tickled her ear with his breath. The two took one of the paths off of the main pathway and found themselves in a poorly lit copse of trees. The howling and yipping hadn't died down, Judy could hear animals breathing and growling just out of sight. The nexus of hostility was nearly palpable; involuntarily her body was becoming hypervigilant, ready to fly at a moment's notice. Nick was far from comfortable looking, his typically cool demeanor was long gone; in its place was that of a tense, nervous predator. Eyes focused, mouth tightened into a thin downturned line. It was so unlike him that Judy could hardly recognize her carefree fox. Up ahead, Judy thought she could make out a figure in the darkness. The lamp posts here had been broken so only the light from the main path and the city shone through the trees. She motioned to her partner and crept closer, trying to identify the shapeless mass. Nick grabbed her arm and put a finger to her mouth. She nodded, and he leaned closer to her and whispered:

"That's our missing cat…from the club. Looks like he's…preoccupied." As Nick described what he could see with his night vision, Judy crept forward, silent like the moon. Now she could hear it herself; obscene quiet moaning and rhythmic labored breathing. Even in the dark, Judy was afraid Nick would see her blushing, and redoubled her effort to focus on the cat. She held up a hand behind her back and gestured for Nick to move up to her position. When she felt him beside her, she snapped on her flashlight and illuminated the scene.

The cat looked as if he had just left the killing, still dressed in the black and red jacket of his fallen compatriots. His pants were hanging loosely from his hips, which were able to thrust into his partner four or five more times before he realized someone had a light on him. He cursed and pulled out of his partner before sprinting away from the duo, zipping up his pants as he went. Judy didn't bother looking to see if Nick would follow her, she just ran. The cat was fast, and knew the layout of the park better than Judy or Nick did. Fortunately for them, he mainly stuck to the path that wound deeper and deeper in the woods.

Nick quickly lost count of the twists and turns they had taken and before long they were definitely lost. If Judy was not just in front of him, he would've lost her. The thought motivated him to keep up with the athletic bunny, and had him thanking the gods for giving foxes night vision. As they chased after the cat, Nick became faintly aware of noise behind him. He quickly looked over his back and saw a number of dark flashes following the chase from the tree line, not ten meters from him. The creatures seemed content to simply follow them for the moment, but the feeling of being hunted settled into him. Then the two detectives found themselves running across the pavement of one of the primary pathways leading into the underground caverns. During their brief dash through the light, Nick glanced sideways and saw a line of animals squatting on the bridge leading into the city, and another group blocking the path into the center of the park. _We're being herded._ Then the detective followed his partner into the dim blue light of the ice caverns.

The caverns were simply tunnels carved into the bedrock of the city intended to look natural, while allowing the temperature to be kept moderately low as inexpensively as the city could afford. Each room in the caverns had a thin strip of walkway leading around the edge of the icy blue pools that occupied each individual room. The water was an underground continuation of the river that cut through the woods and the plains biomes. Nick saw his bunny disappear into the next room and sprinted after her. No matter how quickly he ran, Nick was only able to catch a glimpse of Judy's tail disappearing into the next room in the series of caverns until finally Nick came to a room where a maintenance door was propped open by his partner.

"C'mon Nick hurry up! He went through here!" With that, she was gone. It took Nick only a few seconds to follow after her, but he stopped short after crossing the threshold. The maintenance door wasn't actually a maintenance tunnel, but an entrance for actors to use to enter and exit the stage to the amphitheater without having to walk through the crowd. Except now, the crowd was a large group of half-naked animals on all fours perched on the seats and benches surrounding the amphitheater, hissing or growling at the newcomer. On the dais in the middle of the stadium was his partner. Circling around her was the mark they had been chasing, the black cat in the jacket. The door behind Nick slammed shut, and he didn't need to test it to know it was blocked shut. Nick joined his partner on the stage. The cat watched him cautiously, but otherwise remained silent. As the seconds ticked by, Nick wondered what was going on. Since when were police officers herded like lemmings into traps like this? Thankfully, Judy was not a patient girl.

"You were at the Lone Digger two nights ago during the attacks." The way she voiced the statement it was not even meant to be a question. The cat still did not speak, simply nodding like he was answering a child's simple question with as much dignity as he could muster.

"Witnesses say you started the attack. That makes you our only suspect." Not even a nonverbal answer this time, just a heartless, piercing stare. Nick silently wished his partner were less vindictive in situations like these, as this wouldn't be the first time she antagonized a criminal into doing something they all wound up regretting. This situation was different. He willed his partner to remember what they had discussed before going into this insanity.

"I-in that case, you are under arrest for murder." Nick slapped a hand to his face. The assembly surrounding them on all sides began to roar with laughter. Judy's ears shrunk behind her head. The cat grinned, but only held his hands out to signal for silence. When he eventually regained control of the crowd, he took another appraising glance at the rabbit.

"My, but you are a sweet thing. Lucky fox, right pal? Anyways, I want to ask you something rabbit. Who do you think your power comes from?" Judy glared at the cat.

"The police are granted their authority to enforce the law through a social contract with the citizens of society…they collectively grant police officers the right to deprive them individually of freedom for the safety of the group, based on rules set in place by a democratically elected government."

"What if an animal decides he doesn't want to participate in that social contract?"

"It doesn't matter what an individual wants, the majority rules in this case and there are avenues available for redress if a minority feel unfairly treated. Meaning even if you disagree with it, you are still under arrest."

"Ah, interesting. Wrong, but interesting. Your authority comes from us. Predators I mean. It's true; there are nine prey animals for every one predator in this city. Your authority exists because those with the power to destroy it have decided to allow it to exist because it benefits them. Think about it another way: predators in this society make up only 10% of the total population, but control 85% of the wealth in our economy. Money is simply another word for power and another way for those with power to control the rest of us. Take this situation for example." The cat gestured to the gathering on all sides of the dais. A cooperative growl rose from the throats of the animals circling them like sharks around a chum dump. Then the cat snapped his fingers and from the group several animals jumped to the stage and grabbed Nick and Judy, forcing them apart and holding Nick to his knees. The cat ambled over to where Judy was held.

"You have no power here because I do not allow you to." As he said this, he pushed her onto her knees, then onto her chest.

"I once read in a book that the power to cause pain is the only power that matters…the ability to kill, because if you can't kill and destroy then you are always subject to those who can. And nothing and no one will ever save you." As he said this, he lazily began undoing the fly on his pants. Sudden realization cut into Nick with a painful jolt. He was so stupid. They were being herded for a reason. These animals weren't afraid of the law, especially not when the responding officers were as weak looking as they. If he had been thinking they wouldn't even be close to this park. Nick's mind was racing, and quickly fixated on the only thing he could think of to save Judy. The cat pulled its member out of its fly as Nick blurted out his last best chance to save them.

"I challenge you!" He screamed, struggling against his captors. The mob roared with laughter again, but the cat didn't join in this time. He quizzically looked at the fox.

"What makes you think you have the right to challenge Caesar?"

"You're about to rape my mate. You trapped us what, twenty to two? Unless you're afraid of losing to a fox in front of your subjects, but that'd be pretty embarrassing for you if you lost." The desperation had gradually left his voice as Nick poked and prodded the cat. He had to hope the projection of power was enough to provoke the feline. To his great relief, the laughter in the crowd had turned into a slow chant of approval. If they were going to watch the spectacle then they wanted to see it all, blood and domination went well together. Caesar let his member rest on Judy's backside for a few moments more before standing back up and once again redoing his fly. He gestured to Nick's captors, who released him and joined the crowd once more. With his arms free, Nick weighed his grossly limited options. He could actually fight this cat, and he might be able to win. Except the cat was a killer, and had killed dogs larger than he with ease. He could grab Judy and make a break for it, although with the crowd there was little to no chance of actually escaping the amphitheater. Their radios had been mangled when they were captured. Nick put his paws up, preparing to fight. Caesar took his jacket off, tossing it on the side of the stage and hopping around, flexing his muscles and his retractable claws. Then he squared up against the fox. Judy looked up from her kneeling position, her normally composed self, gone. She was terrified. "Nick."

And that was all it took for him to decide. As the cat grinned and started walking towards the fox, Nick's hand slid behind his back and came forward with the revolver. Caesar's face lit up with surprise in the seconds before Nick leveled the pistol at Caesar's head and pulled the trigger. The bullet punched a hole through the sleek black cat's eye and exploded out the back of his head in a gout of blood and skull fragments. Caesar's body went stiff and collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. In the moments after the blast echoed throughout the park, silence followed. Nick turned his gun on the animals holding Judy down and they tossed their hands up as if to say they weren't involved. Nick pulled the trigger again.


	11. Chapter 11 - XXX

Immediately following the killing of Caesar and Judy's captors, the wilding animals finally quit their yapping and constant movement, watching the bloody scene unfold. As the third animal fell, Nick let out a deep breath he only vaguely realized he had been holding. The night was cold; it came out of his mouth a light vapor in the air. It was then that all hell seemed to break loose among the wilders. With their king gone, there was now a vacuum of power which the clan chiefs all wanted to claim for themselves. It was only through Caesar's cunning and viciousness that he had been able to bring all the clans together, but it was that same cunning and discipline that had in the eyes of many tamed wilding. The entire point of wilding was to act on your instincts and do as you please. The rule had worn patience thin, and with their oppressor lying dead in a pool of his own blood and brains, that rule had finally broken.

Wolves snapped at their feline companions, which in turn rent their flesh open or took flight. Leopards snatched anything close to their approximate weight by the neck and drug them into the trees. Lions chased down a herd of ram that had joined in the fun. It was utter chaos, and the approaching sirens did nothing to disperse the raging brawl. Nick had a death grip on the revolver. While all this transpired around them, he helped Judy up and they hid themselves in the little alcove leading into the caverns they had entered the amphitheater from. Neither of them spoke, they simply watched the inferno rage around them. Minutes later, or maybe hours later, officers in SWAT gear swept through the area, tranquilizing any animals that hadn't yet fled the area. Nick took Judy's hand and led her back out onto the stage, then up the stairs. One of the officers saw them and called his sergeant over.

"Sir! Located the detectives!" A tough looking panther with a boxer's face met them at the top of the stairs.

"Detectives. Are you hurt?"

"…just shaken. Detective Hopps was almost raped. I discharged my weapon three times, killing three animals in self-defense." The panther's bright green eyes glared into Nick's before nodding his head in silent agreement with himself.

"Standard procedure then…for the moment, I'll need to confiscate your weapon as crime scene evidence. In the meantime, let's get you two medically examined." Nick glanced down at the pistol, unable to give it up. The sergeant grabbed it gently by the barrel and pulled it from his hands. Then he ordered two of his squad to escort them back to the perimeter, and radioed for a paramedic to meet them. Nick took Judy by the hand and they slowly walked to the South gate towards the flashing lights and yellow crime scene tape.

Chief Bogo leaned heavily on his desk. Across from him his second best detective sat quietly, waiting for the Chief to speak. Dozens of witness statements lay spread out on the large desk, completely covering the surface. Nick's revolver also lay on the desk sealed in a transparent plastic bag with a white panel displaying identifying numbers and letters.

"Go over it one more time detective."

"I've already gone over it three times."

"And you'll do it again or you'll be placed under arrest for obstruction of justice."

"Fine. We were pursuing a lead at Central Park that had been mentioned by several withesses…and yourself, Chief. Upon reentering the park, we were pointed in the direction of our lead, an animal named Caesar."

"Caesar, the cat you killed."

"Yeah. We stumbled across the suspect in the wooded area of the park copulating with an unidentified female. Upon initial contact, the suspect fled. Judy and I-"

"Officer Hopps."

"You know who I mean. _Officer Hopps_ and I pursued the suspect through the woods and into the caves. Crossing the pathway I realized we were being herded, but was unable to stop Officer Hopps from pursuing the suspect into the caverns."

"What do you mean herded?"

"I mean there were hostile animals blocking all paths except the one leading into the caverns. The suspect fled the caverns through a maintenance door into the central amphitheater. Upon following the suspect through the door, it was immediately blocked from the other side. Officer Hopps and I found ourselves surrounded by wilders, and were confronted by the suspect."

"And you attempted to defuse the situation?"

Nick shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Officer Hopps interrogated the suspect about his involvement in the club attacks, to which he openly admitted. She then attempted to arrest the suspect."

"Officer Hopps tried to arrest a suspect in that situation?"

"Yes, as is our duty as officers of the law. We didn't have a choice Chief."

"A judge might disagree with you."

"A judge can go fuck himself. He wasn't there. We weren't getting out of that situation without violence."

"Sure. But you didn't try to either, did you?"

Nick glared at the buffalo but didn't say anything. He understood what was happening. The Chief sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before gesturing for Nick to continue.

"The suspect began lecturing us on social contracts and power and then ordered his men to restrain myself and Officer Hopps. He…then proceeded to…force himself on Officer Hopps. In order to save her I challenged the suspect to a duel. He accepted, and when I was freed I pulled my firearm and shot that fucking beast in the head."

Chief Bogo frowned.

"I appreciate your passion for protecting your partner, Nick, I really do, but if you want to come out of this without a criminal conviction you would do well to remember to control yourself. You shot Caesar, then what happened?"

"Then I shot the animals assaulting Officer Hopps."

"They were fleeing, Wilde."

"The situation was out of control already." Nick snarled. "I had to make sure Officer Hopps and I were secure. They had already assaulted a fellow officer and were accessories to her sexual assault. They had a number of conspirators readily available. I did not feel safe and acted to make myself so."

"Detective, this will be the hardest part of your case to make. There are at least five witness statements saying that those two animals were running gor their lives and you gunned them down out of anger. Just saying-"He said, trying to stave off the outcry from Nick. "-for your benefit, you'll want to work on your testimony. Anyways, from that point on, you and Officer Hopps hid yourselves for safety purposes while reinforcements arrived." Chief looked expectantly at Nick who nodded, not adding anything. The Chief set his hooves down on the desk.

"Very well. That's your story, and I'm inclined to believe it. However, all officers involved in a shooting are placed on paid administrative leave while the situation is investigated by internal affairs. Enjoy the break detective, and if I may make a suggestion…take Judy somewhere nice. Get her away from all of this." Nick looked quizzically at the big buffalo.

"She's hurt Nick. Not physically, but mentally. Not her usual sharpish self. You're her partner, she trusts you with her life." The Chief made an odd face at Nick and continued, "Sometimes I think she might see more in you than just a patrol partner." The Chief shook his head. "In any case, you're free to go. Leave your badge with Clawhauser, and gather any personal effects from your office and locker you might need." Nick thanked the Chief and left the office. Despite his rough uncaring demeanor, the Chief was surprisingly adept and Nick knew he cared more about his subordinates than he let on. It's why he was so tough on all of them. It helped cement the chain of command; mercy came from his Captains, discipline and strictness came from him. When everything was falling apart, this chain of command was what kept the precinct operating as an effective unit. Nick grabbed a few things from his desk, and headed for the round desk in the lobby where the flabby Cheetah was waiting for him. Unlike last time he had spoken to Clawhauser, this time the Cheetah was his typical cheerful self. Now that Nick and Judy weren't in immediate danger, he felt much less stressed out. He was still somewhat hurtfully oblivious however.

"Hey Nick! Congratulations on taking that baddy down!" The Cheetah exclaimed, polishing off a bear claw doughnut in one gargantuan bite. Nick sighed and slapped his badge on the cat's desk. Clawhauser choked the rest of the half masticated doughnut down.

"Whoa! They're making you quit? Oh, what a shame!"

"I'm not being fired Spots. Paid administrative leave, they're giving me a vacation for killing three animals." Nick snorted unhappily. Now that he had time to think, Nick began second guessing himself. He had the gun, maybe he could have controlled the situation, forced Caesar to surrender… _no. Impossible…and it doesn't matter. What happened happened and can't be changed. And no matter what I think now, I'd do it again. Without hesitation._ Nick shook the thought from his head and said his goodbyes to Clawhauser. Then he hailed a cab and gave it Judy's address.

Judy laid her head against the tiles of the shower. She didn't know how long she had been there, she didn't care. Even though the EMTs had given her a clean bill of health, in her mind she was still in that arena. She began shivering, even with the almost boiling hot water pouring down her ears and back. She remembered being grabbed by huge hands. Another shiver. She recalled how the dais looked from the ground, how powerless she was to resist her captors, to resist Caesar. The name made her shake uncontrollably. She remembered all too well what _he_ felt like. How easily he could have taken her. She broke down and cried again, ugly, heaving sobs that racked her body and forced her into the fetal position. She had been powerless to save herself. Her badge, her uniform, her mind, her gun, even her body had failed to protect her. If Nick hadn't been there with her…if Nick hadn't been willing to kill for her…she felt the tears renew their attack. There were a thousand ways that Nick could've died. She was so stupid…she ran headfirst into a trap and didn't even have the instincts to know it until it was already sprung. She hit herself in the head, gently at first, then harder. Then she screamed. Or rather, she tried to. All that came from her throat was a croaking shriek more befitting a dying toad than a rabbit.

She squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Despite this, she couldn't keep Nick out of her head. She saw him, standing on the dais, illuminated by the lamp posts and flood lights. She saw him rip the revolver from its holster on the small of his back. She saw him thrust his hand forward, saw the snarl on his lips as he pulled the trigger. She saw his vicious features cast in sharp relief from the explosion emanating from the barrel. It was in that moment that she realized she loved him. His fierce visage was for her. He killed for her. He would kill for her again. It was a perverse thought that sprouted like a weed, yet it thrilled her. The emotion that now choked her was more welcome, although she was sick of crying. She finally felt well enough to turn off the water and get out of the shower. Except when the water stopped, she heard someone knocking on her door.

Nick heard the shower running through Judy's thin front door. Almost as soon as he stopped in front of the door he heard the water cut off. So he rapped on the door several times. He heard something shifting around, and then saw the light in the peephole disappear.

"Hey Carrots! I brought you some Chinese food." The light disappeared, the chain lock rattled, and the door opened slowly. Judy was only wearing a soft looking white bathrobe hanging perfectly from her figure. Nick's eyes shot wide in surprise. This was…unexpected, but not unwelcome. Judy gently grabbed Nick's tie by the tip and gently led him inside, only just managing to close the door behind them.

"Glad to see you're doing okay Ca-!" He began, and was quickly cut off when the rabbit pulled him down by his tie and kissed him deeply. He was still surprised by her directness, but let his questions go and returned her kiss. She tugged on his tie, spinning him around and pushing him onto the bed. She quickly and quietly took the food from him and set it on her desk, then turned around to face him again. Nick decided to let her make the first move. She shrugged her robe daintily from her shoulders and sunk to her knees between his. She painstakingly undid his belt buckle and fly, unhurriedly she tugged his pants down to uncover his foxhood.

Nick put his hands behind him to support his back, and let the rabbit take him in her mouth. The feeling of the cool apartment and her warm mouth on his shaft tortured the fox with a variety of pleasant sensations. Her body was somewhat hesitant, having never done this for a boy before, but Nick could tell she was determined to do well. He was confused, this mood didn't parse with what Chief Bogo told him…but as she took him to the root, he remembered he didn't care. He opened his eyes and saw her watching him with a slight smile on her face that made her front teeth just lightly dig into Nick's soft flesh. He groaned, and seeing his reaction very carefully drug her teeth across the surface of his skin. He shuddered, and pulled his hips away from her. She slid him out of her mouth.

"No you don't fox." With that she pushed against his chest and he knew to lie back so that he was lying on the bed sideways. His member was now fully extended, and Judy used him to pull herself onto his lap and hovered over him.

"I love you." She said simply, before stabbing him into the wet flesh between her legs. Without a sound she slowly slid down his shaft until she felt him bottom out against her womb. Nick groaned obscenely, unconsciously grabbing her hips and trying uselessly to put more of himself into her. When Judy felt comfortable, she began thrusting her hips back and forth in a rocking motion that produced a sent lightning bolts pleasure through her abdomen. Nick grabbed one of her hands and locked fingers with her, allowing her to ride him at her leisure. As she fell into a steady rhythm the shockwaves built in severity, became more amplified until she felt herself shatter into hundreds of quivering pieces. Nick let her ride out her first orgasm on him, using all his willpower not to finish himself then and there. When her legs quit shaking so uncontrollably he rolled over so that she was resting on the bed. Weakly she wrapped her legs around his waist. Nick began thrusting himself into her at a faster pace, digging his feet into the carpet next to the bed for leverage. He felt a pressure building in his groin and when it felt as if he would explode he gave one final deep push and let himself finish in her. As he did, his knot slid into her vagina and swelled up, tying them together in that final embrace. His sudden increase in girth and moaning was more than enough to push her into her second orgasm. He collapsed on top of her, then carefully picked her up and flipped them over again so that she was lying on his chest.

"Do I know I love you? Yes. Yes, I do." Judy chuckled but was too exhausted to answer. She just wrapped her arms around him and settled for feeling him slowly grow soft inside her over the course of the next hour.


	12. Chapter 12 - XXX

Nick and Judy lay on her bed in that embrace until his distended member had slipped out of the tiny bunny. Judy had fallen asleep and was snoozing away on Nick's chest, giving him plenty of time to think. As the rabbit's back rose and fell gently in time with her breathing, Nick saw her terror stricken face looking up at him from the dais once more. The fury that had shocked his system and pushed him to action was now a cold tempered rage. Unsurprisingly, he didn't regret killing Caesar. The animal had certainly intended to rape Judy, and likely kill both of them afterwards. Killing him had been the only choice, and how he had relished it…his fury hadn't been sated with the blood of the devil. In that moment he recalled that he had wanted to kill all of the animals there. It was only through his commendable self-control that he had restrained himself to blowing away just the two who had dared lay a finger on Judy.

But he wasn't worried about himself or even the animals he had killed, he found himself wondering about his partner. She had been tricked and restrained and nearly been raped and had been powerless to stop it; to protect herself. Something was off; she had been acting strange ever since being placed on medical leave and what had just transpired between them was completely unprecedented. They had only had sex on one other occasion, and that had taken a healthy number of drinks and almost a year to build up to, and then there had been very little talking. This time before she mounted him, she had said she loved him, and that had been all she had really said. Not even a little banter beforehand to take her nerves off of it, instead she had seemed…determined? Now that Nick thought about it, that was the only time he could recall her telling him how she really felt about him and it didn't take a genius or a detective to come up with a handful or reasons why. And he would've bet a month's salary those thoughts were the same ones he was having about her. Did he love her? Nick looked down his chest at the bunny wrapped around him.

Their reverie was broken by a series of sharp knocks on the door. Judy groaned and snuggled her face deeper into Nick's chest. Whoever was at the door knocked again, louder this now. Nick carefully picked up the naked bunny and set her down on the bed before heading to the door and looking out the peephole. Through the fish eye lens he saw Floki, the Doberman from the hospital standing expectantly at the door. Nick cursed silently and let himself out into the hallway.

"Nick? Didn't expect to find you here." The dog smiled, shaking Nick's hand briefly.

"I wasn't expecting to see you anywhere outside of ZMC for another week. What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Big asked me to checkup on his granddaughter's god mother. Word on the street is that she was involved in some nastiness down at Central Park. We had also heard you had killed the ring leader down there along with his two new lieutenants. That true?"

"Yeah. How'd you find out about that? It hasn't even been a full day…" The Doberman feigned insult, holding a hand to his immaculately dressed chest.

"How did the Big family hear about a city detective gunning down three gangsters in a the city where guns themselves are a rarity? Nicky, I'm insulted. It's our job to be in the know on things that happen in this city. In any case-"The dog reached into its suit jacket and pulled a thick envelope from his breast pocket. "-The family wanted me to pass this along to you as a…gift, for services rendered." The dog held the white envelope out to Nick who deftly snatched the package and tore it open, revealing a thick stack of fifty dollar bills. At a quick glance, Nick estimated the envelope contained almost five thousand dollars. Nick's eyes widened and he looked up back at the dog who was grinning eagerly.

"Consider it the first of many such gifts if you're interested. Mr. Big is very gracious to his friends."

"I can't take this. Thanks, but I didn't kill them for Mr. Big." The dog looked at Nick suspiciously, and then looked past him at Judy's locked door. Nick could almost see the puzzle pieces falling into place in the dog's eyes, although he still wore a serious face.

"I think I understand what's going on here. You and Officer Hopps are a thing huh? Well then let me offer some advice-"The dog stepped uncomfortably close to Nick. "-I know what you police officers make. And let me tell you, it isn't enough. Things may seem fine now, but if you tried buying a house, or adopting kids or any of that shit, you'll quickly come to realize that cops don't get paid enough for what they do. So if you want to have a real shot at a life with that bunny, you'll go on the take and stuff that moral bullshit. This here-"The dog slapped the envelope with a paw"-this will put your kids through college. This will put you in a house with that girl of yours. This will make it so you can think about retiring someday." The Doberman shoved the envelope into Nick's chest. Floki glowered at Nick for a few moments before sighing and rolling his eyes. "How's Judy holding up?"

"She was almost raped. All things considered, she's holding up pretty well." Nick growled at the dog, adjusting his posture so that the Doberman wasn't eye to eye with him. The Doberman's face lit up with shock followed shortly by clearly visible anger.

"Those fucking beasts got what they fucking deserved. That part is news to our side and I'm sure Mr. Big will not be happy to hear that. Now that we know that…why don't you and Judy go on vacation to one of Mr. Big' resorts down South while things blow over here? You two are both close friends of the family, and you've done us a tremendous service at great personal risk, it'd be a cakewalk to get setup."

"I'm on paid leave, so is Judy…why not? I'll ask Hopps if she'd like to go." Nick said, careful not to sound too petulant. Something about getting so cozy with a known mobster made him uncomfortable. Floki grinned savagely and handed Nick a business card with a couple of phone numbers written on the back.

"I'll pass word along to Koslov and once he hears what happens he'll get someone to work out the details. Take care of her Nick, she means a lot to us." The Doberman shook Nick's hand again and left down the hallway. Nick watched him leave, and then transferred the money from the envelope to his wallet before heading back inside.

"Whosssat?" Judy asked groggily from the bed. While he had been outside talking to Floki, she had seized a pillow and was crushing it between her arms and legs. Nick couldn't help but smile; she was too cute. Nick stripped down and climbed into bed to spoon her the same way she spooned the pillow. She moaned pitifully and pushed her head between Nick's arm and the bed.

"Poor sleepy bunny, did I wear you out?" She shook her head and made a bratty sound, and pushed her butt against Nick's crotch.

"Oh forgive me. Well, that was just our friend in the local mafia Floki offering us a vacation at a resort down South. Neither of us have any work to do for the next two weeks, so why don't we have ourselves a little vacation? Just you, me, and a bunch of margaritas on a beach somewhere warm. How about it?" He crooned, and was rewarded with a grin and a nod. That was enough for him, so he laid his head down on the bed just beside Judy's head and let himself fall asleep.

The next morning Judy was awake a little later than she usually was, and was working on breakfast by the time Nick woke up as well. She had made blueberry pancakes and was just piling them onto a serving plate as he came to.

"Breakfast in bed? I should've started dating you a lot sooner." Nick groggily opened his eyes, and immediately woke up fully. Judy was only wearing an apron, her toned butt and sex were fully exposed from his point of view. Judy turned on him with the pancake plate in one hand, the other on her hip.

"Yes you should have. We'll have to make up for lost time now that we're going on vacation." Judy set the plate of pancakes on the bedside table and handed Nick a plate already loaded with two flapjacks. "Syrup?" Nick nodded and she added a swirl of syrup to the dish before setting the bottle down on the kitchen counter. Nick had scooted up to a sitting position near the pillows to be able to eat, and felt Judy lay down to rest on his legs. As he made his way through his first pancake he felt his bunny work her way up his thighs until he felt her pawing at the growing bulge in his underwear. The first touch made him nearly choke to death on the food, but he had gotten used to it. Then Judy tugged his briefs down just enough so that she could begin licking his pole.

The first moment she took him in her mouth was as different and pleasant as fire and ice. Nick kept eating, but his mind was far from focused on the pancakes. Instead he focused on the deliberate, painstaking pace Judy took as she licked every inch of his shaft and sucked on the tip of his penis. Her ministrations were supremely pleasant, but ultimately lacked the intensity needed to bring him to climax. Realizing this, Judy began to allow more of him into her mouth until she was taking him halfway on each pass. On one such pass, she slid her hands behind his waist and pushed more of him into her mouth, willing her throat to loosen up and accept as much of him as she could. Doing this, she was able to take all of him and began making short fast passes on him. Soon she felt him tense up and seconds later was rewarded with a salty mouthful of his seed coating her throat. It was when she tried to pull him out that she realized Nick had set his plate down and was holding her head with both hands. She gently pushed herself up, feeling his length slide lewdly out of her tiny mouth with a pop. She pulled herself into his lap with his member between her own legs as well, and grabbed his plate and set another pancake on it for herself.

"If this is what making up for lost time looks like, I don't want it to ever stop." Nick panted as Judy ripped off a chunk of pancake and ate it dry.

"If we're actually going to go on vacation, you'd better eat up." She said coyly, offering him a piece of pancake that he ate straight from her hand. "You're going to need your strength."


	13. Chapter 13 - XXX

"Hello?"

"Floki? It's Nick. Just wanted to say thanks for stopping by yesterday, and that we're happy to go on that trip you were offering."

"Hey hey! That's good news! I told Koslov last night and he passed the word on to Mr. Big, who was furious. You ever seen an Artic shrew want to kill someone? Well anyways, he agreed that you two deserve to be rewarded for your loyalty. Go to Port Zootropolis International Airport, we have a plane headed South waiting on you two."

"You have a plane waiting for us?"

"Yeah, Mr. Big treats his friends well. There will be someone waiting for you two on arrival so just look for the sign with your names on it."

"Pass along our thanks to Mr. Big."

"Sure thing Nicki. Take it easy!" With that, the line went dead and Nick grinned at himself in the mirror. He was beginning to understand why Judy liked these Mob types. He put his phone away and left the bathroom to see his rabbit clearing her suitcase by making a pile of clothes on the bed.

"Didn't realize you were the nesting type. Want me to tear some insulation out of the walls for your little hidey hole?" Judy grimaced at the fox and tossed a wrinkled up shirt at him, successfully covering his stupid grin. He laughed as he balled up the shirt and tossed it back at the rabbit, connecting with the center of her chest with the projectile.

"Shut up!" Judy growled at Nick, who put his hands up in surrender. "Anyways, I realized I never asked where we were going." Working with Nick and their frequent after work 'dates' had led to her simply trusting his judgement on matters of taste; she hadn't left her hometown until the day she left for police academy and then for Zootropolis. He was simply worldlier than she was and his suggestions had never been anything less than perfect for what she wanted.

"Oh, I think you'll like it." Judy threw a sock at him. "Ow! I can't ruin the surprise!" Nick played up the injury, trying to make the rabbit feel sorry for him. It didn't work. "Alright, I'll give you a hint. It's warm, the food makes this entire city looks like a Denny's." Judy turned to her wardrobe and pulled open the double doors.

"Good enough for me Mr. Wilde. Now, would you care to help me pick some outfits?" She was rifling through the top most drawer, looking for a particular pair of panties when Nick sidled up to her and gave her toned butt a squeeze. She 'eeped' and punched him in the stomach hard enough to double him over. Then she covered her mouth with her paws.

"Idiot! Are you okay?" Nick wheezed and laid his head against the wardrobe door. Breathlessly he pointed to a pair of light blue lacy panties. An half hour later, they finished getting Judy packed and took a cab to Nick's apartment to get his suitcase where he changed into chubbies and a gaudy Hawaiian shirt (much to Judy's chagrin) and then they were off to the airport. Upon arrival, the two checked their bags at the kiosk and wound their way through security before being rushed to the tarmac where they were quickly ushered to their seats in first class.

"Well I don't think I've ever gotten boarded so quickly. We should do this more often." Nick quipped, reclining his seat all the way back to the lying position. A zebra stewardess passed at that moment like a ghost and made a face at Nick.

"Excuse me sir, please keep your seat in the sitting position until we're in the air." Nick sighed and sat back up. They felt the plane begin to move as a rhinoceros ground crew pushed them out into the travelling lane leading towards the runway. In a few short minutes they were sitting on the runway. Nick glanced at Judy and saw that she had a death grip on her armrests. It occurred to him that being the country bumpkin she was she had never been on a plane before. It was too late for reassurances, so Nick had to settle for holding the hand closest to him.

She quickly twisted her paw around and crushed Nick's in her death grip about the same time the twin jet engines kicked in and shot them down the runway at blistering speeds. Then Nick felt the nose rise, followed by the tail of the plane. He heard and felt the landing gear collapse into the body of the plane as it climbed into the atmosphere. Once they were rising smoothly Nick nudged Judy and pointed out the window. The rabbit shook her head vehemently, her ears pressed tight against the back of her skull almost as tightly as her eyes were shut. Nick smiled to himself and guided the rabbits head out the window. Reluctantly she cracked one eye open, then the other. Zootopia was disappearing below them into colored shapes, eventually the countryside dissolved into familiar if small squares and rectangles that she recognized as the fields her family worked. She felt small, watching her entire world shrink beneath her. She squeezed Nick's hand and laid her head against his shoulder and shortly fell asleep.

Judy woke up on the descent and was able to look outside, although after doing so she wished she hadn't. They were surrounded by water on all sides, as far as the eye could see. She glanced at Nick, who just shrugged and buckled himself in. She followed suit, but looked outside again. Now she could see a sliver of land poking into view. Judy simply closed her eyes and kept them that way until she felt the landing gear extend and make contact with the runway. By then all she saw outside were palm trees and scrub bush bounding the runway, and a large tan colored airport.

They were ferried to the airport, and led down onto the blisteringly hot tarmac itself. Nick followed closely behind her at a relaxed pace, watching the bunny take in everything she could. They collected their bags at the luggage carousel, and made their way for the arrivals gateway. There, a golden retriever was waiting for them with a sign reading "Mr. & Mrs. Wilde." Nick groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, but couldn't help but to smile underneath his paw. Judy blushed, but tried her best to maintain her composure. No need to tell Nick how happy the sign made her feel even though it was a mistake.

"Mister and Misses Wilde?" The golden retriever was the only animal with a sign for arrivals, and based on their embarrassed reaction was able to guess he had found his expected guests.

Judy made an impertinent noise at Nick and said, "Why, yes that is us!"

"Excellent! Please allow me to be the first to welcome you to Forget-Me-Not Island, and your residence for the duration of your stay, the Hotel Beaux. I'll take your bags, thank you…"The retriever was incredibly polite, yet had an airy friendliness about him that was disarming. Nick carried his own bag to the trunk of the Cadillac, not willing to be completely coddled, and handed off the bags before opening the passenger door for his rabbit. The interior of the car was blessedly cool with air conditioning, and Nick saw that the driver's armrest had been conveniently modified into a small bar containing two tumblers and a crystal decanter partially filled with dark amber liquid, which Nick deftly poured out for the two of them.

"Welcome to Forget-Me-Not Island Carrots. Cheers!" They clinked glasses and drank to the start of a fantastic vacation. The car pulled out of the arrivals temporary parking and quickly zipped through the main island onto a long finger of beach where a series of beach cabanas alternated every quarter mile. They finally pulled into a roundabout at the furthest tip of the island.

"Ready?" Judy nodded excitedly, already feeling the warmth from the drink spread from her throat throughout her chest and into her head. Nick opened the door and helped her out of the car onto the front lawn of their beach cabana. It was a comfortably small building made of teakwood with a neatly thatched reed roof; it looked to have two wings branching out of the main hall. There were open windows along the front of the property, which was bounded by a bamboo privacy fence and palm trees. Someone had paid a lot of money for a finely maintained grass lawn kept short. Judy looked at Nick then hopped to the front door leaving the fox and their retriever chauffeur to deal with the luggage. Judy tried the front door and found it was unlocked. She stepped through the threshold and found herself grinning stupidly on the doormat.

If anything, the craftsman who had built this structure had put more love into the interior of the building than the exterior. The walls and ceiling beams were perfectly cut teakwood, each slat fitting together with the next in an almost synthetic way. The vaulted ceiling supported a thin sheet of bamboo weave that supported the thatched roof. The room itself was rectangular, with a wide open double door directly opposite the front door leading out to the beach. Currently the curtains were drawn back, revealing a square pool sunk into the patio. The patio led down onto a private beach, where a short boardwalk cut out into the azure water, terminating in a gazebo decorated with paper lanterns to provide light at night. A square bed was in the center of the gazebo, with several pillows placed tastefully on the corners. Facing the double doors in the main hall was a low backed love seat and a short rectangular coffee table with a fruit sculpture in a bowl on the center. On the right side of the room facing the beach a dining table was set with an arrangement of flowers. On the left was an L-shaped sofa holding a sweating bucket filled with ice and a bottle of champagne. Judy leaned weakly against the back of the love seat. She couldn't believe there was such a beautiful place in the world.

"Wow." The rabbit looked behind her and saw Nick standing in the doorway smiling gently. The cabana was amazing, but with her lithe figure framed against the ocean, it was a work of art…and she was the centerpiece of it all.

"Well, of all the things you've ever dragged me to I think this takes the cake."

"Dragged you to? Oh come on fluff, you were so willing to go on our little dates that I didn't even have to come up with a clever pickup line for you." Judy smiled sweetly and looked at her feet bashfully. Nick couldn't resist the urge to kiss her anymore, so he did just that. Deeply, slowly, lingering like the smell of flowers on a spring day. With a victorious grin, it was his turn to make her swoon. He put his arm around her waist and turned to look out the back door at the ocean. Judy pressed her head against Nick's chest and followed his gaze. A light cough interrupted their moment as they were gently reminded the chauffeur was still present.

"I apologize for interrupting, but before I leave you to enjoy your stay I am instructed to inform you that if there is any emergency and you need help of any kind; there is a landline with all emergency services listed just above it. There is also a taxi service listed if you should want to visit any of the islands nightlife scenes, and a concierge service available from 6am through 6pm. Reservations have already been made in your name at the more exclusive island restaurants, if that evening doesn't work for you or you would prefer to cook for yourselves, don't worry about cancelling. There is a market in the inner island if you need to restock your refrigerator or find something not included. That's all!" The retriever exclaimed, having deftly delivered his welcome message. "My name is Charlie, and once more, welcome to Forget-Me-Not Island!" With that, he bowed gracefully and Nick followed him to the door.

"For your help. Thanks Charlie." Nick slipped a twenty dollar bill to the retriever and closed the door behind him. As he turned back around to face Judy, he found her frowning at him.

"Someone's feeling a little generous."

"Oh come on, he seems like a nice guy. Anyways, let's check out the rest of this place. I'm really curious to see the layout of the bedroom." He winked at her and disappeared down the hallway on the right. Judy sighed, but quickly put the thought to rest as she chased Nick through the pergola into the next room. She found Nick sitting in a giant bathtub guarded by two identical sinks fully stocked with a stool for more complex hair stylings and soft white cotton towels. Nick had his arms resting on the edge of the bathtub facing the ocean. In the distance, she could see a rocky mountain jutting out of the ocean sparsely covered in what appeared to be grass.

"I cannot wait to use this thing." Judy laughed, and hopped in the empty tub with Nick so she was sitting on his lap, her ears pared by his face. He wrapped her up in his arms and lightly bit her neck, then kissing and nipping her shoulder. She shivered and groaned with satisfaction, closing her eyes to relish the sensation. She felt his excitement growing in his chubbies and made an executive decision.

"God that feels good…let's check out the bedroom?" She half said, half moaned as he bit a particularly sensitive stretch of flesh. He growled his assent, then bodily picked her up and carried her to the other wing where they finally found the bedroom. Unlike the other rooms, the bedroom did not have a door leading outside, instead opting for a single large open air window that gave the occupants a decent view if they stood on their knees on the bed. The bed itself was a king sized mattress on soft thousand thread count sheets and a light blanket to keep any wayward chilly breezes off the occupants. A sliding door covered the wardrobe in the back of the room, and aside from two bedside tables and a chair in the back left corner the room was empty of furniture. Some interesting mood artwork had been hung up on the walls, but the focus of the room was very obviously the bed; which is where Nick laid his bunny down and continued his teasing of her neck.

Judy was wearing tan capris and a loosely fitting light blue button down shirt, which Nick was now busying himself with slowly unbuttoning as he kissed Judy's exposed body. He eventually found himself worrying the thick button on her pants while he kissed her waistline, and then found himself lapping at the damp flesh between her legs. Her moaning had been previously been sporadic, now it was steadily building in tempo and volume. Her tiny hands were pressing on the back of his head, urging him to probe deeper, which he was all too happy to oblige. Nick slid his hands under her legs and placed one over her waist as the other toyed with her breasts. He gradually felt her hips begin to rock in sync with his ministrations. Then her legs clamped tight against his head and shook violently as she fell into the tide pool of her first orgasm. Nick kissed her sex, giving it a loving pat. Had she been conscious she might have batted at his head, but as it was she was too busy riding out the shockwaves of her first finish.

"Sly fox…." She said as she felt his foxhood press against her backside when he sat up. She pulled herself to the window sill and found that it was cushioned for exactly what she had in mind. Propping herself up against the window, she made her back arch just so her sex was fully exposed towards her partner. Nick grinned and undid the fly on his chubbies, pulling them to his knees and scooting forward until he was behind her. He gave her a loving slap on the rump and a gentler rub elsewhere before positioning himself behind her and torturously slowly pushing forward. She felt his burning rod split her open as a wave of pleasure engulfed her abdomen, making her contract and squeeze down on him. He groaned and repositioned himself, grabbing her hips and thrusting more forcefully. This time he fully sheathed himself in her, eliciting a groan from both their lips. Nick savored the feeling of being one with his best friend, his lover, before moving his hips.

His thrusts began short and forceful, relishing each fluid motion as if he were tasting wine. As she acclimated to his size she was able to get into their rhythm, pushing back against his thrusts. She felt the coals of the fire he had started earlier begin to heat up, and before long she felt her legs start to shake again. Nick could feel her muscles quivering and dug his claws lightly into her hips, continuing to rock the little bunny against the windowsill. The added sensation of light pain brought even more blood to her nether regions, blowing enough air into the coals that it burst into flame, a series of warm shockwaves emanating out from her sex through her abdomen and down her legs and up her spine. Nick held on to her shaking body, doing his best to thrust through her orgasm, and failing. He felt his finish coming and buried himself in her, bottoming out just as he found his release. He grudgingly pulled out of her and lay back on the bed, breathing heavily. Judy lay beside him and squeezed her legs together. They lay together for a half hour or so before either spoke again.

"So, ready for round two yet?"


	14. Chapter 14

The two made love a second time as leisurely as the tropical fish swimming in the shade of the boardwalk leading to the gazebo. In no particular hurry the flowed from position to position, teasing each other with smooth sensual movements. Then they tensed in mutual climax and after a few shuddering moments lay down on their bed to rest. The sound of gulls crying on the beach occasionally reverberated through the house where they were otherwise content to hold the other and listen to the waves lap against the shore. Presently Nick left the bed and came back with a tumbler half filled with ice and Scotch. Judy was lying on her side, basking in the afterglow of their love when he returned to the bed and laid down beside her. At some point he had put on a new pair of briefs and it was with the string fastener to these that Judy began to play, snaking one lithe finger just under the waistband. The touch made him shiver and he took a sip of his drink.

"You bunnies…so emotional. Don't tell me you want to go again?" He crooned, pulling her against his chest. She intertwined her leg with his and mindlessly let her tiny bunny claw dance across Nick's waist.

"Well…we _are_ in heat all year round." She said, reaching into his briefs and giving his package a loving squeeze. Nick grinned silently and took another sip of scotch as she released him and returned to her toying with his waist band. "But no…I've had my fun for the afternoon. I want to see more of the island."

"Good idea Fluff. We could walk on the beach to the main strip and catch a cab back, we could go into town and rent bikes, or we could take a kayak and paddle around the island. But oh dear," He made a face at Judy, "Can the poor wittle bunny handle the terrible open ocean?" She pinched him in the side, eliciting a yelp from her fox lover.

"Let's take the kayaks. This ocean isn't that scary, and besides, you'll be there with me. You'll keep me safe." She murmured, then rose from the bed and made for the bathroom to freshen herself up. Nick's ears perked up and he watched her disappear through the hallway. He took another long slug from his drink and made for the kitchen to clean the now empty glass. As he finished he saw his bunny out of the corner of his eye and saw that she had changed into a light blue bikini with a matching string bikini bottom that had a single carrot embroidered on the fabric pointing to her nether regions. Nick gulped and felt the room grow a little hotter. He made for the bedroom with a pair of birddog swim trunks and called the chauffeur while he changed.

"Hey Charlie, think you can stop by and pick us up? We're gonna rent some kayaks and go paddle around until dinner." Nick returned to the main hall and sat down on the love seat to watch Judy do yoga on the patio.

"You want to go kayaking? There should be two in the toolshed just behind the bedroom. The door should be unlocked, but if not let me know. Don't forget to wear life jackets!" Nick said his thanks and hung up the phone just as Judy executed the downward dog. Seeing her bent over in such a vulnerable pose gave Nick a wicked idea, and he silently snuck up behind her before smacking her butt. The rabbit yelped and kicked backwards with both of her legs, catching Nick in the chest and tossing him backwards into the loveseat and then over it. He wheezed painfully, briefly wondering if he was dying before Judy came around behind the love seat. She looked mad, but also somewhat contrite.

"Idiot! You brought this on yourself!" She yelled at him, which only served to make him want to laugh even harder, causing another series of wheezes and coughs. Judy sighed and helped Nick to his feet. A few moments later he was almost recovered enough to speak normally. As soon as he felt he had caught his breath again, he winked at her slyly.

"With something so tempting right in front of me on a silver platter, how could I resist?" Judy rolled her eyes but couldn't help blushing.

"You could give a girl some warning. Is Charlie on the way?"

"No, apparently there are kayaks in a toolshed on the property. Let's go check it out, see what we have to work with." The two walked out onto the patio and were able to quickly find the building whose door was unlocked as Charlie had promised. Nick pulled open the door and was dumbstruck by all he found inside. There were two ocean kayaks hanging on racks on the wall, but there was also a Waverunner on a small trailer in the center of the shed. Several different size lifejackets were hanging from a line in the corner, and two paddles for the kayaks were leaning in another.

"Wow. That is a _lot_ of hardware for a beach house." Judy slipped in beside him and picked up a few lifejackets, comparing them for size.

"Yeah, well we'll just be careful not to break anything."

"Alright, help me get these kayaks on the beach and we can worry about how nice this vacation is once we're on the water."

With some elbow grease and more grunting than they would have chosen to hear the two finally managed to unhook the yellow and blue kayak from the wall and drug it onto the beach. They decided to just share one kayak and went through the lifejackets until they found an appropriate fit. Once they were strapped in Nick had Judy lay back on the front of the kayak as he grabbed the handle near the bow and pulled it into the clear blue water. White sand swirled beneath his feet as he pushed off and gracefully hopped onto the back of the kayak. After much squirming and adjusting he finally made himself comfortable and with a hearty shove pushed them off over the nearly flat waves.

"Alright Carrots, I should have asked before but have you ever actually been in a kayak before?"

"I went fishing in a canoe once…"

"So no. Well, the basics are pretty simple. Paddle on the side you want to turn towards. If you want to go straight, alternate your paddle strokes. If you want to make a quick turn, reverse the direction of you stroke on the side you want to turn towards. If the boat flips or we capsize, don't freak out. Just hang onto the boat and I'll get us right side up. And watch out for sharks, I hear they like bunnies." Judy groaned and rolled her eyes, not that anyone could see them. She jerked her paddle backwards across the surface of the water and splashed Nick with the warm waters. He laughed and started paddling forward. As they left the relative proximity of the shore Judy realized how large the ocean was. As far as the eye could see, and much more beyond was simply water. Judy felt small. She tried to remember what Nick had said would turn them and slipped her paddle into the water and almost dropped it before it popped out of the surf. She tried again, this time holding onto the ship with her legs she dug into the water and pushed the paddle forward. The ship slowed, but the nose turned towards land again. Nick watched her for a moment then repeated her motion and pointed the ship's bow towards the distant landmass on a route that would take them down the shore and then they both dug into the waves and pulled back, propelling themselves across the water like a rocket.

After a scant few minutes they began seeing other vacationers begin dotting the shore and waters. Their closest neighbors were a tiger couple that they saw rutting on a balcony looking out onto the sea. When the two saw Nick and Judy they didn't stop, but they did pause long enough to wave a guilty hello before quickly falling back into their love making. Judy blushed and looked away while Nick shamelessly watched the display with mild interest before refocusing on their progress. The beach houses they passed all looked beautifully in touch with their surroundings, but it was soon evident that the one they occupied was the finest on the island. The closer they got to the biggest part of the island the closer the beach houses became until the beach houses came out onto the water and several cabanas were connected to a single boardwalk. As they passed under the boardwalk Judy noticed that seemed to be some kind of rabbit wedding going on and the newlyweds had invited almost a hundred of their friends to the island with them for their honeymoon. Then they were propelled past the boardwalk and into the main harbor.

The sweaty duo successfully rode a wave onto the beach, then hopped out of the kayak and drug it past the high tide marker before letting it drop and sinking to the ground themselves, pretty fairly worn out.

"This place is beautiful Nick. There are so many animals here, so much blue and green everywhere!" Judy swooned, laying back on the hot sand. Nick grinned, quietly pleased with himself. Physical exertion was a great way to get the blood flowing. If said bunny happened to be wearing an incredibly suggestive bikini when her blood got flowing, well…there were lots of opportunities. Nick followed her lead, leaning back until his neck was resting on a lump of hot sand. For a moment he felt at peace.

A/N – I apologize for the delays in schedule, my girlfriend needed help studying for a finance exam so I had to devote my evenings to helping her rather than writing. In any case, this chapter will be relatively shorter but I just wanted to get something out there to set up a more involved chapter. And thank you, everyone, for following, favoriting, and reviewing the story. Those commitments to reading my story mean more than I can ever really tell you. Alright, enough inflating the word count with non-story. Look forward to chapter 15 coming soon!


	15. Chapter 15

The two lay on the beach, resting in the heat until they felt the strength return to their bodies. Nick had put his arms behind his head just as Judy rolled over and laid her head on his bare chest.

"Did you see that wedding party on the way here?" Nick cracked an eye open, trying in vain to keep the sun out of his eyes.

"Yeah. Bunch of rabbits on the cabanas? What about them?"

"They'll probably be having a party later, so I was thinking we go get changed and after dinner we go find out where. Drink a little, dance a little?" Nick pushed himself up onto an arm and scratched Judy's ears.

"That sounds like a magnificent plan. And by the time we get back it'll probably be about that time. What do you say we head back?" Judy groaned playfully then hopped up and grabbed her paddle. Nick chuckled and started pulling the kayak back into the ocean. Judy quickly fell into the rhythm and realized she could make more powerful strokes if she used her entire body rather than just her torso. This time they were trying to make time rather than enjoy the sights. Their tiger neighbors were relaxing on their gazebo by the time they returned, and to Judy's relief were at clothed, albeit minimally. Then they were back on their private beach dragging the kayak past the high tide mark. The quick pace they used had worn him out and it was a bit of a struggle. By the time he had finally managed to pull the boat onto the grass, Judy had already disappeared into the beach house to get changed. Nick hopped in the pool for a brief dip to wash the sweat off then sat on one of the beach chairs to dry off.

A gentle scratching at the base of his ears woke Nick up from the unexpected nap he had slipped into. He yawned and sat up, looking around for the culprit. When he found her, he couldn't keep the grin from spreading across his face like a fire. Judy hadn't changed out of her bikini; instead she had merely wrapped herself in a breezy wrap and thrown on a wide brim summer hat that gently pressed her ears down her back giving her a demure, seductive look. She saw the effect she had on Nick and lowered her head to cover her blushing face.

"Wow."

"Shut up. Go get dressed or we're gonna be late for dinner!" Nick was too infatuated with her appearance to say anything witty and went to their room to get changed. Minutes later he came back out wearing white slacks and a salmon button down short sleeved shirt that was unbuttoned to his sternum, allowing a flash of white fur to peak out from beneath.

"Alright beautiful, shall we hail a cab?" Judy was sitting on the loveseat with a martini in hand. She nodded and motioned for him to sit down beside her.

"Yeah, I already asked Charlie to pick us up, he'll be here soon." She sipped her drink gracefully as the fox joined her on the loveseat. The sun was beginning to set, it was almost six o'clock and a golden haze streaked through the darkening sky, highlighting and illuminating the clouds rolling in over the ocean and twinkling off of the waves. Neither of the two felt spoke, they didn't need to. They watched the sunset, and as the sun was hanging just over the horizon a sharp knock on the door interrupted the reverie of the moment. Nick inhaled deeply before pushing himself off of the loveseat.

"Good ol' Charlie, perfect timing. I am starving; if we don't get food soon I'm gonna have to rethink eating you Carrots." Judy followed him to the door, stopping at the kitchen to put her empty glass in the sink.

"Well, don't forget to save room for desert. I won't." Judy winked at him as she hopped through the door and into the waiting limousine that Charlie had graciously held open for her. When Nick was seated, they pulled out of the cul-de-sac and made their way down the coast towards the main island.

"Alright Charlie, what's for dinner?"

"Tonight you have a reservation at La Villa Andolini. Chef Damien travelled the world over honing his craft and is considered a master on every continent and his partner, Alexander, is a first class maître d' who also knows his way around a bar. Together they manage seven tables at the restaurant that are typically booked every night of the week. You'll be seated at the eighth table that is reserved for Mr. Big and his friends use and none other." Judy gave Nick a worried look and pulled him down to her level.

"Nick, how are you possibly going to be able to afford this?" She whispered, sounding more nervous than mad. For that, Nick was relieved. He hated seeing her genuinely mad at him. He put an arm around her and kissed her head before answering.

"I've been saving up for a vacation for a while now. Besides, who can say no to one of the best chefs of our generation after the reservation was already taken care of?" Judy released him, but couldn't quite shake the feeling. Sensing the mood, Nick made for the scotch again to make them drinks but instead found the bottle replaced with a white wine and a small bucket of ice.

"Mr. Wilde, you'll find that iced sauvignon Blanc is a nice, light and crisp start to an evening out. Two or three cubes should do perfectly." Charlie said, having heard Nick root through the cooler. Nick suspiciously made the drinks and handed one stemmed glass to Judy, who unfazed took a sip of the concoction.

"That's…actually not bad." She mumbled, taking another sip and feeling her nerves gradually return. Nick followed her lead, and as they finished their first glass the car pulled to a stop in front of a terraced pueblo building that reminded Nick of pictures of favelas on the coast of Italy. Pastel salmon or yellow walls and green rooves, open air windows and oil lanterns provided the lighting for the building, casting it in a nostalgic amber hue.

"Alright, Mr. and Ms. Wilde, if you follow these steps to the top you'll find the restaurant. Chef Damien will be in the kitchen, so just wait for Alexander to see you and he'll take you to your table. Have a wonderful night, and if you need a ride to the clubs or back home don't hesitate to give me a call." With that, Charlie in his casual gracefulness bowed and returned to his limousine, a fresh twenty dollar bill tucked into his breast pocket. Before Judy could question his money spending habits, Nick took her by the hand and kissed her lovingly and led her up the stairs.

As the two ascended the stairs, the heavy jungle vegetation crawling up the mountain subsided in favor of lighter, hardier plants. The buildings turned into terraced gardens and patios that overlooked the ring of land surrounding the mountain and the ocean beyond it. From this vantage point they could still see the sun hanging blood orange in the sky. The final level of the restaurant was on a flat stretch of land on the way up the mountain. It seemed as if the kitchen had been built into the mountain itself while the bar and seating area were spread out in front of it, offering all the diners a view of the ocean and surrounding island. Each table was lit with an oil lantern and placed in such a way that diners would be able to talk without disrupting other customers. Almost as soon as the two entered the final terrace, a lynx dressed in a white shirt and black vest with rolled up sleeves and a ponytail immediately approached them and gave a curt bow.

"Bonsoir! Bienvenue à la villa Andolini. I am your humble servant Alexander, and you two must be Mr. & Ms. Wilde. Please, your table is this way." The lynx pivoted on his heel and led the two up a small stage and out onto a covered balcony where a table had been set for two, replete with silverware, upturned straight wall cups for water and wine as well as dinner plates and a golden brown loaf of bread half cut with a knife protruding from the center.

"My lady, good sir, it is an honor to have a friend of Mr. Big in our restaurant. Tonight's dinner will consist of arugula toast with feta cheese and sliced tomato, fruit salad featuring fresh fruit from the islands very own orchards, Moroccan couscous with almonds, tomatoes, and pearl Israeli couscous. Finally, desert will be a simple but rich lava cake and vanilla ice cream. Would you like to make any alterations before I get you started on drinks?"

"Ms. Wilde, does that sound good to you?"

"…Yes, that sounds perfect."


	16. Chapter 16

"I'll take a couple fingers of scotch and some ice. Carrots?"

"A strawberry daiquiri please." The lynx clapped his hands together and returned to the kitchen and bar, leaving Judy and Nick alone. Judy was entranced by the sunset. They were perched on a cliff overlooking a side of the mountain and the sound, where the sun was still just visible setting. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen such vibrant color in nature, let alone in such a spectacular location. When she saw that Nick was watching her she blushed and forced her attention back to the table.

"Enjoying your vacation Ms. Wilde?" Silently she thanked the fox for the chance to recover.

"Oh yes. I love everyone calling me 'Ms. Wilde.', especially a bunch of strangers who magically know who we are without even an introduction. That's not super creepy at all."

"I don't appreciate the negativity Whiskers. It's not the worst name out there..." Nick let his voice grow fainter, feigning hurt at her criticism and was rewarded with an almost immediately contrite rabbit.

"That's not what I meant!" Judy's ears were pressed flat against the back of her head, giving away the sincerity of her apology. Nick decided in that moment he loved that look. "I just think it's weird how everyone knows our names and that we're a couple, since well..." Something about the pause made Nick get a little more serious. "No one back home knows."

"Well actually...Floki knows. And I would guess by our current situation that either Koslov or Mr. Big knows. But I have a feeling that's not who you had in mind." Alexander graciously interrupted the two with their drinks.

"If you'll excuse me, Johnny Walker Green Label for the sir and a strawberry daiquiri for the lady, and iced water for the couple."

"Thank you." Judy said and sipped her drink until Alexander had left. "You're right. That's something I wanted to talk about. Who can we tell?" Nick set two spheres of ice into his tumbler and stirred them for a few seconds thinking.

"I see what you mean. Do you think Bogo would let us keep working together if he knew?" Nick sliced off a hunk of bread and cut it in two for Judy and himself.

"No. And maybe we shouldn't work together anymore...what if something happened to you or me? I don't know if I'd be able to..." Judy took a long pull from her daiquiri.

"If we were still beat cops I'd agree with you. But we're detectives. Our job is to investigate crimes and apprehend criminals, not go toe to toe with the lions. I think work would be alright. That's not the one I'd be worried about though. Your family is a different story." Judy groaned and took a bite from the perfectly browned slice of bread.

"My parents have gotten really close to Gideon Grey. Maybe if they can work with a fox they can be alright with their daughter being with a fox."

"Gideon Grey? Were his parents children's book authors?" Without missing a beat, Judy shot back.

"Alcoholics and meth addicts, actually, and ironically he was the first predator to ever hurt me, a fox." Nick choked on his drink, nearly spraying it all over Judy's face.

"What? There's a story I never heard before." Judy shifted in her seat, trying to get more comfortable.

"There's not a lot to tell. We were at some kind of festival and I had just done the Zootopia play thing that every kid is forced to do, dressed up as a cop, and he had stolen some kid's tickets for the games. We got into a fight and he slashed my cheek open." Nick stared in wide eyed silence. "I'm kind of surprised you never noticed the scars. Three lines, starting here-" Judy pointed to just below her left eye, then down to her jawline. "-to here. I guess that shows what you were looking at huh?" She laughed, but her voice was...off, somehow. She sounded distant.

"I'm sorry. I never knew. You carrying fox repellant makes a lot more sense now. Now that you point it out though-" Nick leaned out of his seat and touched Judy's cheek where she pointed out her scar. "-I don't see a thing. Your face is perfect." The smile the crept onto her face was worth the cheesiness. Nick sat back down in his seat and took another sip of his scotch. With uncannily perfect timing Alexander replaced the bread with a porcelain tray of four julienne slices of toasted arugula and tomato, drizzled in balsamic. The lynx deftly removed the bread and disappeared back into the restaurant.

"So what about your parents?" Judy asked as she snatched a slice of arugula toast onto her appetizer dish. She realized that they had never really discussed Nick's parents during their almost year together. The fox gazed at her over the lip of his glass before setting It down to answer.

"Well…Ma is pretty progressive. We had a falling out when I was growing up and only recently started talking again. She is so proud that I'm working with the Judy Hopps, and not only that but her little Nicki is a police officer!" He smirked as if reminiscing about a nice memory from high school before continuing. "At this point she's probably just happy that I'm not in jail. I'm sure she'd like grandkids, but in all honesty Carrots…I'm an adult. I want her to love you, and I want your parents to love me, but ultimately the only person I care about is you. As long as I can make you happy, then to me it doesn't matter if my mom doesn't approve. I'll have you, and for me that's enough." Nick grabbed one of the arugula toasts and popped it in his mouth before it could any other embarrassingly serious lines. But it seemed to have come out as intended, as Judy was blushing.

"I…I'm glad you feel that way. I want my our parents to approve of us too…so regardless of what they say we'll just have to work on them if they need it. Besides, I think we have a while until we even think about getting more serious or having kids." Judy laughed and took a sip from her daiquiri, then another. It was deliciously sweet and had a subtle hint of bitterness that just took the edge off of the sugary mix. Nick was grateful for her momentary infatuation with her drink as it gave him a chance to recover from his overenthusiasm. He had forgotten they had only been dating for a few days, but even so it felt like they had been together for years. And she had responded well to his romanticism earlier, why not push the envelope? He could always play it off as a joke if it didn't go over well.

"Don't tell me that you haven't thought about having kids, rabbit. Your species is practically known for it." Nick faked an indignant frown that got the bunny to roll her eyes the way he liked; the smooth twist of those purple shards, and the unintended smile that betrayed her true feelings. "All I'm saying is that I want you to be happy. If we work out, then I want us to work out all the way. I don't think that's a bad thing." He snatched another toast from the tray around the same time that Alexander waltzed back onto the balcony with a bowl of salad and two plates. The lynx carefully made room for the salad bowl and topped off their cups of water before once again disappearing into the building. Judy gave herself a healthy helping of salad while she thought about what she wanted to say. She hadn't even realized it herself, but she was glad Nick was taking their relationship seriously. He was so easy to just…exist with. She realized that being with him was the same as being alive, it just felt natural.

"To be honest, I haven't really thought about kids. Now that I am, I'm thinking about my three hundred brothers and sisters. I know it's bad of me to say, but I don't know all of their names. I don't really know half of them, how could I be any different if I were a parent? If I ever did decide to have kids, I'd rather have a few who I know and love than so many I forget. I don't know how my parents managed to love all of us the way they do."Unbidden thoughts of the family farm and warm sunny days playing with her brothers and sisters and the neighbors sprung into her mind, even though she couldn't remember most of those she had been with. Nick picked out a handful of fruit from the salad bowl while she spoke, smiling lazily.

"Well sweetheart, that's good because you and I…our genetic material isn't compatible. So if we really do carry this thing out to its beautiful conclusion, we'll have to adopt. Anyways-"Nicktook a very long slug of scotch before continuing on, "-we have all the time in the world to think about that kind of stuff before we commit to anything. Why don't we just enjoy this delicious salad and couscous and see where the night takes us?" Judy smiled sweetly at the fox, but only popped a strawberry in her mouth in answer. Just as Nick was about to deliver a charged one liner about her lovely mouth, Alexander reappeared at the table with a bottle of white wine and two glasses.

"Pardon, sir, ma'am, one of the other tables noticed you coming in and wanted to buy you a drink. Cantina Santadi, from Villa Solais pairs wonderfully with your main dish which will be out in five minutes. Would you like to accept?" Judy looked from Alexander to Nick, who was eying the bottle suspiciously.

"Who exactly sent the bottle?" He asked. Normally he wouldn't have hesitated to accept such offers, but in light of his recent killing of a high level crime boss he was somewhat suspicious of the unexpected.

"Of course Mr. Wilde, the couple is from Mr. and Mrs. Savage, two very successful rabbit futures traders on their honeymoon. Ms. Hopps, Mr. Wilde I apologize for misidentifying you, but they wanted to thank you for being an inspiration to all animals. They'll also be having a party tonight at the Muse Nightclub which they have also invited you to." Judy smiled nervously. She was uncomfortable with public praise; especially so when she wasn't on duty. Nick nodded and held out a hand for the wine glasses which Alexander deftly filled up to a quarter full each before recorking the bottle and leaving it at the table with the somewhat bewildered couple. Nick took a sip of the drink and decided it was pleasantly citrusy, and paired well with the toast before returning to their conversation.

"So whiskers, have you ever heard of the Savages?" The bunny shook her head no as she continued working on her toast and drinks. She was starting to feel the warmth of the alcohol spread through her chest. "I didn't think so, but I thought I'd ask. Jack and Morgan Savage are besides yourself the only really notable rabbits to have left the countryside. They work on a first name basis with the Lemming Brothers and are one of the wealthier power couples in Zootopia. I'm actually not sure where they stack up against someone like Mr. Big or the mayor even because most of their money is legit and well protected."

"Geez fox, since when were you a regular reader of the Paw Street Journal? They seem like a perfectly nice couple celebrating their wedding!"

"Careful Carrots, your eyes are starting to glaze over in that weird, 'I want to get married' look. You're forgetting that I was a hustler back in the day, and it was professional to keep abreast of your competitors and role models. They were at the top of the pack as far as I was concerned, a fully legit business hustling people all day every day. Anyways, that's all behind me now. This nightclub sounds pretty interesting though, wanna go?"

"Oh hush you." Judy had another sip of the wine. "Clubbing sounds like a blast."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N – I apologize for taking so long to update this. When I first started writing this I was going off of an idea I had had after watching both Zootopia and the Lone Digger music video. That idea really ended around chapter 10/11. I didn't feel like it was a satisfactory ending to this story so I kept writing without a real direction and had to stop before I wrote the story into a grave. Well, I've thought about it long enough and I finally have a real direction to write towards, but the inspiration I had for the first half of this story is gone. The passion is still here, but it will take me longer to write chapters as I need to actually consider where they're going. However, it shouldn't take more than one or two weeks from here on out. Thank you for everyone who's read so far! Your reviews, favorites and follows inspire me to continue writing. One last thing: once I'm done with this story I'll be compiling it into one long story instead of this chapter by chapter installment. That story should be a much more polished version of this one with a more linear feeling. Enough padding the word count, onto the story!**

"Funny you should mention clubbing."

"Why?"

"Do you remember Gazelle's Zootopia reunited concert? The one after the Night howler case was closed?"

"Yeah, it was wild!" Judy grinned as she tasted the wine. It was fruity, but not in a cheap sugary way, she could tell the vineyard used real fruits in their wine making. That lazy grin crept on Nick's face almost as if he could see the wine going to her head.

"That's when I first knew for sure that I wanted you. You had this…infectious smile on your face, and when you bumped me with your hips I couldn't help but dance with you. The entire time I was watching you dance I couldn't stop thinking about how good you looked." The fox, embarrassed, busied himself with his scotch while he watched her. Thankfully she looked as nervous as he felt.

"Oh...it took you that long? Not when I drove nearly three-hundred miles to find and apologize to you? Or when I broke down and cried on you?" Gratefully Nick held up his paws in mock defeat.

"Alright, alright, so how late was I to the party?"

"In the museum, actually. In the span of forty-eight hours you went from being a sketchy fox to my best friend. And when I got hurt and couldn't run…you wouldn't leave me. Call it instinct, but I knew you'd always be there for me. Then when you faked going savage, you had my neck in your mouth and I wasn't afraid. _I wasn't afraid._ Not even reflexively, I just…knew. Knew you'd never hurt me. And I knew that I'd never trust anyone that strongly again." Judy buried her sniffles in the glass of wine in front of her. Their waiter, Alexander, graciously chose that moment to slide in and place two steaming plates of Moroccan couscous beside their salad plates before withdrawing again.

"Wow! Look at this!" Nick exclaimed, leaning in close to the meal. Thin tendrils of steam curled up off of plate, comically pooling under his nose before blowing off into the night. Judy was secretly glad Nick had changed the topic. She had been a hair away from telling him she loved him. And now that she was thinking about it, she realized they had never said as much to Nick or vice versa ever since their relationship had grown into the next level. It hadn't need said; it was evident in everything they did together. And yet…now that she had thought of it, Judy was obsessing over it.

"Carrots?" Judy jumped in her seat realizing she had zoned out. Her fox was watching her carefully, very obviously worried. She forced herself to laugh a bit.

"Sorry, I couldn't believe that something could smell so good! Thank you for bringing me here Nick, this night has been amazing." Nick sat back in his seat, somewhat relieved.

"My pleasure. And it's only going to get better. Dig in!" Nick said, and then did himself. The couscous was fantastic; the almonds gave just the right amount of crunch to the dish, complimented by the diced peppers and pearl couscous. The two made short work of the main dish, and opted to split the lava cake. As they took small bites of the chocolate treat, Nick called Charlie and asked him to meet them at the restaurant.

"Well Carrots, are you ready to dance that cute fuzzy wuzzy butt of yours off?" Judy laughed and slid off her chair and headed for the door. She glanced behind her and saw Nick peel two hundred dollar bills out of his wallet and walk after her. She refocused her wide eyed gaze forward, forcing herself to not ask Nick where he got that kind of money. Surely they hadn't eaten _that_ much…Judy shook her head. They were on vacation. Nick wasn't dumb; if he couldn't afford it he wouldn't have left it. Maybe this place was just that expensive.

"C'mon Hopps, Charlie's here!" Nick said and took her paw in his. She decided then that she would ask him about it later. They made their way down the steps, now lit by torches rather than the evening sun and into the waiting limousine.

"Good evening! Where would you like to go? I know several fantastic clubs around town, and a few dive bars if that's more your speed. Or perhaps you'd like to head home?"

"Good evening Charlie. We've actually got an invite to Muse, can you take us there?" Charlie glanced back at Nick before nodding.

"Muse is well known in the EDM scene and is a favorite for visiting DJ's. A great choice for dancing, and it also has an open air balcony over the water so you can have a nice ocean breeze when you need a rest. We'll be there in about ten minutes if you'd like a drink in the meantime?" Nick nodded and to his great delight found a bottle of scotch nestled in the refrigerator. True to his word, Charlie had them in front of Muse in nine minutes. As Nick stepped out of the limousine he was immediately struck by the size of the club. The building itself seemed to be at least fifty meters wide, with one main entrance guarded by two high power spotlights shining straight up into the night. Well maintained palm trees lined the building, and several tigers in tight fitting tuxedos provided security at the door. Judy's paw slid into his while he was taking in the club.

"Don't tell me you're intimidated Nick." Judy grinned and pulled him into the club. The interior was as nice as the exterior, maybe even more so. The entrance and coat check area were all done with a mix of white marble on the floor and black marble making up the walls, the ceiling had a traditional fade to black paint job making the room appear larger than it was. Which this room didn't even need, it was huge. As they entered the dance floor itself Nick's eyes were pierced by a series of bright green lasers and flashed with white light. He clenched his eyes shut as the music from the speakers beat his ears deaf. Nick let Judy lead him blindly into the throbbing mass to a semi-open area where the press wasn't as tight as it had been getting in, and started bobbing with the bass. He noticed that his ears had adjusted for the noise and he was able to make out the song itself, a bouncing number with a female voice providing an auto-tune melody. A flash of purple and magenta light flooded the dance floor along with a burst of fog, illuminating his bunny just ahead. She was dancing with her eyes closed, gracefully shaking her hips in time with the four on the floor beat. Nick sidled up behind her and matched her pace, pulling her close to his body with a strong paw on her waist.

Nick lost count of the songs they danced to, but by the time the Djs were changing sets he had worked up a light sweat from the exertion and the humidity of so many animals in the room. Nick already knew Judy was a cardio bunny, so he left her with one of her new bunny pals to get some water for the two of them. Nick ambled up to the bar and waved down one of the bartenders to order some water. To his surprise, the bartender sat two glasses of water down in front of him before he even asked.

"You read my mind! What do I owe ya?"

"Not me. Courtesy of Mr. Savage, he asked for you as a matter of fact. He's sitting in that back corner, the round booth?" The bartender gestured towards a dimly lit booth in the corner of the club, away from the dancing but raised so the occupant had a commanding view of the dance floor. Sitting between two smoky eyed rabbits was the millionaire himself, casually dressed in slacks and a light blue oxford dress shirt. Dark black stripes almost like a tiger's framed his face, giving him a severe look made no better by his sharply focused eyes that were locked on to Nick's own. Something about the rabbit made Nick feel uneasy, but he hid the anxiety behind a friendly nod towards the table that the rabbit returned. He said some words to the bunnies beside him as Nick approached and they slipped away.

"Nick! Nicholas Wilde! Detective Wilde! Good to meet you, sit down won't you? I've been dying to meet you ever since I found out you were on the island. Bourbon?" The rabbit already had a drink poured as Nick sat down and nodded, alternating sips of water and the dark liquor.

"Mr. Savage, it's an honor for a lowly detective such as myself to make your acquaintance. That bottle of wine you ordered for Judy and I was fantastic."

"I'm glad you liked it! I can tell you have a taste for the finer things in life. You and Judy are such an inspiration to my wife and I, we just had to get acquainted. See her there?" Nick followed Jack's finger into the crowd where he was just able to pick out Judy and another bunny dancing together. Judy's new dance partner was almost as lithe as she was, and Nick had a briefly indecent thought before nodding.

"Glad to see they found each other, Morgan always had an easy time making friends. From what I've heard Judy's the same way, very friendly. What's it like working with her? She definitely appears to be a...fine...rabbit for the job." Nick felt the unease he had dismissed earlier return.

"Judy's a great cop and a wonderful animal; I'd trust her with my life and vice versa any day of the week. We do everything together."

"That must be such an...uncomfortable...relationship to have. Fox and rabbit, predator and prey! And yet to have such a close bond...I couldn't do it. Work with one, yes, but trust? That's too much."

"I think you'd be surprised how comfortable a relationship it can be." Nick said sharply as he leaned back and took another sip. He wasn't really sure why he was so defensive, this rabbit meant nothing to him. Almost as he thought it, the response popped into his head: Jack was the first challenger to their relationship. The unease was coming from these tiny quips suggesting their relationship was improper. While he may be able to disregard Jack, there would be tougher and more important battles that he wouldn't be able to just ignore. Nick softened his tone before adding: "What I mean is that neither of us have any reservations about the other. When we first started working together at the end of the Night Howler case I had Judy's neck between my jaws and she never doubted me. We've grown close in the past couple months and working together has become second nature." Jack nodded sagely, carefully watching the fox across the seat from him.

"I suppose, in light of what you and Judy went through...your killing all of those predators in Central Park makes a bit more sense. What was it like being in that arena? Seeing preds all over Judy, no escape...then pulling the trigger on them. It must have been easy."

"Oh, it was." Nick said quietly. Jack's eyes sharpened into slits focused on the fox. Nick met his gaze, unforgiving. "They were beasts and I put them down like beasts. But it was the right thing to do. If I hadn't done what I did Judy and I would both be dead."

"Well then, I suppose it's fortunate you had the foresight to bring that gun with you! Otherwise Officer Hopps would've been raped or worse and you'd most certainly be dead. And you never could've afforded this trip. Goodness-" Jack took a gulp of the bourbon "it's wonderful that the ZPD has the resources to send Officers being investigated by internal affairs out of the country on impossibly expensive vacations and luxurious dinners." Nick set his glass down. The rabbit followed suit and folded his hands together on the table, eyes focusing on Nick.

"I get the feeling you're being here isn't a happy accident Mr. Savage. Let's dispense with the pleasantries and get to the point, if there is one."

"Indeed. Let me describe a scenario and you tell me what you think: a small town bunny goes to police academy to become a cop. Defying all odds, she not only graduates the academy but does so at the top of her class. She's assigned to precinct one and assigned to parking duty. While performing her duties she meets a shady ex-mobster fox, and within forty-eight hours she has ingratiated herself with the heads of Zootopia's largest crime syndicate, and is the godmother to the heiress's unborn daughter. This bunny then goes on to use her new friend's abilities to bypass the law and interrogates a civilian under threat of death, all the while accompanied by her fox friend. Shortly afterward the fox applies for the academy and not only does he graduate, but he graduates top of the class and is assigned to precinct one to work with his old bunny pal. Following me so far?" Nick nodded slowly, but felt his chest constrict. He had a bad feeling he knew where this was going.

"One day Mr. Big's rivals knocks off one of his strip joints. It's a multiple homicide and who do you think responds to the call first? Officer Hopps and her ex-mobster friend Officer Wilde. They work the case, and hold several meetings with known mob associates in private, from button men all the way up to Mr. Big's consigliere, maybe even Mr. Big himself. They then proceed to confront the murder suspect in a dangerous neighborhood by themselves with no backup. When our dynamic duo encounters the primary suspect, do they take him in? No, they create an unsafe situation where their only acceptable path forward is to kill all of the suspects in the case, effectively closing this case. And then, before a formal investigation can be conducted, our ex-mobster fox friend is given a sizable sum of money and two tickets for a foreign country. Now tell me Nick, what do you think?" The rabbit reached for his drink again while Nick felt like a huge boulder had been placed on his chest. He knew he wasn't a mole, but the only person who could prove otherwise was Judy and they thought she was a mole too...whoever 'they' were, and 'they' had a lot of information on the investigation, their movements, even their past. Nick realized that whoever was sitting in front of him was definitely not a mortgage banker, and probably not even Jack Savage. Nick forced himself to breathe and think about what the rabbit had said.

It was an interesting story, sure, but what proof did they have? The vacation itself was one thing, but if they had proof that Mr. Big was a mobster they would've taken him down already. It wasn't a crime for a police officer to accept gifts, and there was no way to prove that the strip joint had been owned by Mr. Big. He could dispose of the cash unless he were arrested right at that moment. They couldn't prove that Judy had used Mr. Big to interrogate Duke or she would've already been arrested, so that was safe as well. Their decision to attempt to comprehend Caesar by themselves had been based on the fact that bringing a large police force into Central Park at night would've scared him away, possibly driven him into hiding. That decision, despite how the rabbit had painted it, was sound. Someone would need to follow up on the case, look at Caesar's belongings and online footprint, but that would take time either way so their trip here wasn't stopping the case from proceeding. Nick breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that despite the suspicious circumstances surrounding the story the rabbit had told, there was no concrete evidence anywhere, nor was there anything strictly illegal committed. Finally feeling calmer, he leaned back in his seat and took a sip of his own drink.

"That's a fine tale to tell Mr. Savage. But as I understand it, you don't have any proof for any of that, and unfortunately conjecture is not evidence. Mr. Big is an upstanding businessman in Zootopia, responsible for revitalizing the Tundra Town economy. You can call him a gangster all you want, but that won't make him one. How about I propose an alternate version of your theory? Two cops solve cases and take criminals off the street. Nosy internal affairs agents get mad they haven't been put on the front page of every newspaper in the country and try to defame Zootopia's two star detectives. What do you think Mr. Savage?" To his credit, the rabbit appeared unphased. Nick smirked when the rabbit's ears drooped down his back. But that infuriating smirk never left the jack's face. The rabbit instead picked up a manila envelope from the seat beside him and slid it over to Nick. Nick wordlessly opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of photographs and several reams of paper.

"I had heard you were sharp, but even I'm impressed. You saw the chinks in the accusations armor and used them. Unfortunately, they're not as weak as you believe them to be. We have evidence you and officer Hopps had an unacceptable relationship between working partners in the ZPD, not to mention an unnatural relationship in general. We have hundreds of photographs showing you two on date nights, as well as HD film with audio of dessert at both of your apartments on multiple occasions. We're getting film processed right now of you two breaking in your cabana on this island. We have audio recordings of you accepting money from an associate for, and I quote, 'services rendered'. And while we may not have enough to get either of you convicted, we have more than enough tabloid fodder to drag both of your names through the mud. More than enough political clout to make sure that both of your careers are ruined. But that's not what I'm here for. I just need you to understand that we're willing and able to ruin both of your lives if we need to. Imagine how willing the horse is to cooperate when being shown the stick first and then presented a carrot. Nick, we need your help." Nick heard the rabbit speak, but the boulder was back on his chest and his breathing was shallow. The pictures in front of him were from all of their lovemaking. Judy going down on him, Judy mounting him, his knot slipping from her slit...the most private moments of their lives all recorded and backed up several times. This rabbit had him by the short ones and he knew it. Cross species relationships were far from common in Zootopia; he doubted there would be many friendly faces after the news broke. He and Judy would never work together again. As the rabbit said, their careers would be over. But that didn't seem to be what Jack was after.

"What do you want? Who are you?"

"I need you to resign from the ZPD and infiltrate the Big crime family. Then I need you to gather evidence for a successful RICO prosecution and put Mr. Big and his affiliates in jail for good.

"Oh, is that all?"

"One more thing actually. When you're done, we want you to come work for us."

"And who exactly is 'we'?"

"The CIA."


	18. Chapter 18

"Oh." Nick sat his drink down numbly. His mind was racing trying to find a way out of the nightmare scenario confronting it. Quit the ZPD, gather evidence on the most powerful crime family in the city, risk everyone he had ever been close to, not to mention himself. And there was Judy to contend with as well... " Jack gracefully allowed Nick time to process his thoughts. He had hoped he would be able to shock the fox out of his hellishly annoying cool. And he had.

"Under what pretext do you expect me to be able to quit the ZPD without raising any alarms? I sounded confident in all of the debriefings, no sign of mental instability. And there's not a snowball's chance in hell that Judy will let this just slide."

"Perhaps I misspoke. Due to your questionable history of violence and suspicions of fraternizing with your partner while on-duty, you'll quietly be asked to resign." Nick grinned coyly at the jack-rabbit. This spook thought he had it all figured out…except he had seemingly forgotten one important factor.

" _Perhaps_ you weren't listening fluff so I'll repeat myself. Judy won't just let this go. We've been working together every day for over a year, recently we've been even more involved. And despite what you think-" Nick jabbed a claw at Jack, "-we do love each other. She'll dig into what's happening. What's your big plan for her?" Jack waited for Nick to seem less hostile. The fox's instincts were sharp, a little too sharp. He had guessed at the weak point in the whole plan. Officer Hopps' unpredictable passion for sticking her nose in places it wasn't wanted was perhaps the biggest threat to their operation.

"We have some influence on the ZPD. We'll make it so her workload is so heavy she won't have time for personal projects. If it will help you do your job, we'll have someone look after her that way we can ensure her protection and so we can properly obfuscate her if she gets too close to your investigation." Jack put on a face, but internally he was beaming. He would handle that particular task...personally. Nicked grumbled to himself before nodding.

"So I resign. Then what, go ask Mr. Big if I can be his new Luca Brasi?" Nick would've laughed if Jack hadn't given Nick the blank look that he did. The chuckle died in his throat.

"Basically, yes. There will be an opening in his organization once we're ready to begin, you'll be an overqualified candidate for the job. Someone's he's used before, and can trust. When you put your name in the running, he'll think you're a known quantity, a proven killer, someone he can trust."

" _There will be an opening?_ "

"Oh don't give me that look. We already have DNA evidence and enough credible witnesses to convict the weasel, we've just held off on bringing him in for precisely an opportunity like this."

"Well aren't you the regular evil mastermind...are you spooks positive you aren't SS? Because I honestly can't tell the difference." Jack rolled his eyes. He had known the fox would be difficult to handle, it's why he had been chosen to manage this mission personally. That, and another reason...he ran a hand along the length of his ear in exasperation.

"I try to do the most net good that I can, Wilde. You see one already dead criminal deprived of his right to a jury, I see the opportunity to free Zootopia of a murderous drug peddling kingpin…a kingpin who has taken a liking to you and Officer Hopps." Jack recalled the mountainous reports he had read through detailing the duo's interactions with Mr. Big, the countless analyses those had generated, the multiple theories those had given birth to, the grueling process of eliminating all the faulty hypothesis until left with the most accurate models…this was the only way forward with any chance of success. Everything he had pointed to it.

"…a liking which we will take advantage of. Mr. Big owes a life debt to Judy for saving his daughter's life; you saved Judy's life and career, when you go to him he'll say yes. He knows you're a killer, and he'll make you his new button man."

"Oh, so I _do_ just need to go ask him? 'Oh Mr. Big, please forget that I was a cop until a few weeks ago, and can you please pay me to go kill someone?'" Nick laughed coldly. "If you think Mr. Big is that dumb then it's no surprise you people weren't able to infiltrate the family. You have no idea how they operate. You're out of your league." Jack grimaced; he hadn't mentioned that all of their attempts to get an animal on the inside had failed. Three animals were dead because of that miscalculation. But this wasn't the same plan. This was the final plan, the best plan. If it didn't work, Jack didn't think anyone would have another for quite some time.

"If that was our big idea we wouldn't have bothered with you, we simply would've given internal affairs our findings on your relationship with Judy and gone on our way. But that's not the plan." Nick stared pointedly at the rabbit, clearly done talking until everything had been laid out.

"Mr. Big places enormous value on the importance of family. If you tell him you need the money to create a future for yourself and his granddaughter's godmother, he'll help you. We'll make your dismissal from the force a known but unpublished fact." Jack felt his heart pounding in his chest. He could feel the lock turning ever so slightly. This was the crux of the entire plan. Every agent they had tried to insert into the mob had been sniffed out and found floating face down in Tundra Town's underground reservoir. Then he saw that Officer Hopps had seemingly cracked the Night Howler case. She wasn't just a token bunny, as he and most every other animal in the city had suspected, and that had piqued his interest in her. A few days later he watched her use her mob connections to push the case to its conclusion, and Jack had an inspiration. Almost a year later, after watching, waiting, tailing, he was finally ready to have this one conversation.

"If I go along with this, and I'm not saying I am, and anything goes wrong Judy could get hurt." Nick cursed himself even as the words left his mouth. They sounded flimsy even to him, but he was trying to buy time to think of a way out.

"Judy will be perfectly safe. We're keeping her uninvolved specifically for that reason. What's more, mobsters don't attack the family members of their enemies unless they're involved in the business. They believe it would just lead to an incredibly bloody cycle of killing women and children. Judy will be fine." Nick glowered at the rabbit, but he knew he was telling the truth. Mr. Big never went after his enemies families. He was out of excuses. The plan made sense. No one else would be able to get close like he would; no one else could be trusted to do the job right. Nick sighed, determined to at least continue the facade of resistance.

"I'll be expected to kill, you know that right?" Nick for the first time felt himself begin to really truly consider that this was going to happen. Jack seemingly had it all figured out, Nick couldn't say no, and yet...he couldn't quite say yes, and he wasn't entirely sure why.

"You'll be granted a license to kill before you begin. Record every order you're given and relay them to us. When we've decided we have enough we'll extract you from Zootopia to a secure black site where we can proceed with your operative training, while the arrests are executed. Our plan is to have you graduated and back in Zootopia before the court case begins."

"Better be someplace warm. Alright...I'll do it. But!-" Nick held up a paw, quieting Jack before he could react. "-I want insurance. Everything you've promised in writing. I also want proof that all those recordings you have of me and Judy are destroyed." Jack's cool demeanor broke up into a cheeky grin. All had gone according to plan, even if slowly.

"Done. But for your sake, you better bring your A-game. We won't be able to help you if you blow your cover."

"I've been lying to dangerous animals my entire life. What's one little shrew?" The bodies of the dead agents who had failed this mission previously flashed into Jack's mind unbidden. One little shrew indeed. He shook his head abruptly, clearing his mind.

"We'll brief you on the minutia after your vacation. It looks like the ladies are done dancing." Nick glanced towards the dance floor where, true to his word, Judy and 'Morgan', if that was her real name, were heading their way. Jack gave Nick one final glare before forcing himself to relax and put on a more laidback expression. Judy almost looked tired as she slid into the seat nearest to Nick. Morgan remained standing, and was immediately joined by Jack. Judy saw them standing and pouted.

"You're leaving already?!" Morgan glanced at Jack and Nick wondered if she was a spy too. Jack nodded, taking Judy's hand.

"I'm afraid so my dear. We've had a long day. And we're about to have an even longer night!-" Jack oofed as Morgan elbowed him in the gut. Definitely a spy, Nick surmised.

"It was lovely meeting you Judy, we'll have to get lunch sometime!" Judy nodded and waved goodbye.

"See you around Judy...Nick. Keep in touch." Jack and Morgan left the fox and rabbit alone in the booth.

"They're so cool!" Judy beamed, grabbing the now iceless glass of water. Nick threw on a fake smile and nodded.

"That Jack Savage is quite the character. Kind of a dick, but wealth and power do that. How's Morgan?"

"Oh my god, I haven't danced like that in years! She really wore me out. You might have some competition Mr. Wilde." Judy raised a pretentious eyebrow at him. Nick's laugh was so short it was almost a bark.

"Competition? Honey bunny you can barely handle me already! Maybe you found your replacement!" Judy punched him playfully in the side laughing.

"Never in a million years!" The rabbit leaned back in her seat wistfully thinking about her new companion.

"Well, maybe in a menage a trois…" Nick felt a guilty tightness in his shorts. After the conversation he had just had the last thing he wanted was to let that head do any more thinking for him. And yet, the thought of two lithe bunny heads running down his length was quietly there, like the breath of a lover on the nape of his neck. He shook his head and laughed.

"If you could arrange that I'd be more impressed than anything else. But I didn't realize you were the 'sharing' type." Judy hopped up on her seat and grabbed Nick's hand to pull him out of his seat.

"I'm not! C'mon, take me home. I need a bath. And a bottle of wine." Everything that had been discussed was immutable. There really wasn't a convincing reason for Nick to mope about the club. If he was going to have to lie to Judy and risk their lives, he could at least enjoy the rest of this vacation. Nick texted Charlie and in ten minutes they were back at their cabana. Nick tipped their chauffeur while Judy went drew herself a bath. While was drawing the water for said bath, Nick took a few precursory sweeps over their bedroom. He found a handful of tiny fisheye cameras placed around the room, which he collected and tossed in the trash. If he could help it that would be the last new material they would get from him.

Nick let Judy bathe in peace and took a bottle of champagne out onto the gazebo. It was a pleasant night, comfortably cool but not chilly. Clear as far as the eye could see over the water, and the stars themselves were shining like so many diamonds. Nick uncorked the champagne and drank straight from the bottle. The spying part of his task was as straightforward as any other job he had had, he just needed to not get caught. That part would be easy. The most difficult part of the mission, by far, would be handling Judy. She'd be reassigned a new partner, she'd ask him where he was. What he was doing. He could lie, but she would sniff that out in no time. He could tell her he was hustling for Mr. Big, and there was a possibility that she wouldn't ask too many questions, but he already knew she would eventually find out what he was doing that way. Without the truth, she would just think he had become a murderer. That was unacceptable. Nick took a long pull from the champagne, tossing the problem around his head. None of the scenarios he had come up with stood a good chance of working effectively. They all ended up with Judy finding out what he was doing for Mr. Big. She liked him too much and would find him out every time. A pair of strong but small hands slid onto Nick's shoulders, giving them a tight squeeze that forced the tension there into his arms and away.

"Hey slick, what're you thinking about?" Nick leaned backwards until Judy's face was fully in view.

"Just thinking about you beautiful."


	19. Chapter 19 - XXX

Judy let her shift slide down her body into a silken puddle on the hardwood floor of the cabana. Her night had been fantastic; a masterful three-course dinner, rare wine, and an evening of dancing with a new friend; all of it set against the backdrop of a pristine tropical island with a handsome lover. A perfect vacation. Being the busy-bunny she is Judy had been uncomfortable not having anything meaningful to do, but she had finally succumbed to the laziness and felt light.

As she drew herself a bath of warm water, Judy noticed the basin itself was coated with scented lilac oil that came to life under the rush of water. Judy loosened the knot holding her swimwear in place and slid into the bath, letting out a sultry moan as the warmth enveloped her. The lights in the room were dim enough that she could close her eyes and feel almost as if she were about to fall asleep. Judy forced herself to sit up a little straighter. She couldn't pass out already; the night was not quite over. The lithe rabbit reluctantly bathed, then removed herself from the comforting embrace of the tub. Judy found a soft towel to dry herself with, wondering where Nick was. She left the towel in the bathroom, not bothering to dress herself, and went searching for her fox. She found him lounging on the gazebo with a bottle of champagne, his lean torso barely concealed beneath the unbuttoned shirt. Judy unabashedly looked him over, noticing gleefully that his eyes returned the favor.

"Had a nice bathe did we?"

"It was marvelous. You should've joined me."

"Had I known that was an option...champagne?" The fox held the bottle towards Judy, who had remained standing by the couch until she hopped on the cushions and took hold of the proffered vessel. The liquid was sweet and citrusy, and bubbled pleasantly under her tongue as she took a sip. Nick took the bottle back from her as she fell into his lap.

"Tonight was amazing Mr. Wilde. You should start a travel agency." Nick laughed and started massaging the rabbit's long ears.

"Wouldn't that be something else? Bottom-class fox turned celebrated police hero resigns from the force to organize mediocre vacations to over-visited beaches. What a career."

"Don't be sarcastic, if you put your heart into it even a boring vacation to the countryside would be marvelous."

"Marvelous? Since when do you say marvelous?" Judy moaned as Nick applied gentle pressure to the base of her ear.

"Oh...since we started eating at five star restaurants. I thought I should pick up the vocabulary."

"Good idea. Should I call you Lady Hopps now?"

"Mmm…keep doing that and you can call me whatever you want." Judy felt another jolt of electricity race down her neck. She watched Nick smile and felt pride. She loved how easy it was to make him happy, proud that she could give him more than just her basest offering. Although, judging by the increasingly stiff lap her head rest on, she could certainly do that, too.

"I love you. We've barely been together for a week really, but I just...want you to know that." Judy rolled over so that she was supporting herself on her arms, eye level with her fox.

"Say it again."

"I love you?"

"Thanks for that. Now tell me what's wrong." He had said exactly the words she had wanted to hear, and yet...she couldn't keep herself from wondering why. After everything they had been through, why all of the sudden? Nick didn't assuage her fears with that easy-going smile she adored, or some stupid joke. His face looked...sad.

"I was looking at you, and I guess I just realized that I never really said it to you. So I wanted to do it right." Nick looked off and up at the stars. "In a place as beautiful, as perfect as this, I wanted you to know...before we get into those petty couple fights and inevitably break up in a few months because we can't agree on a color for the shower curtain."

"Oh stop it. That's...unusually sweet of you." Judy punched him playfully, trying to alleviate the mood. Something was wrong, but he didn't want to tell her. She knew Nick better than anyone else, or at least well enough to know that he hid himself behind his jokes. Or…maybe he was telling the truth, maybe it was the first time he had ever made himself vulnerable to someone else. Judy watched her fox's smiling face, and decided it didn't matter right now. He had said it.

"I love you too Nick. Since we're being honest with each other." She left her perch from Nick's knees and pulled herself into his lap, resting her head against his shoulder. For now, this was enough for her. Nick wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close enough to lay his chin on top of her head. Judy wondered if heaven could be half as sweet as that moment. She quickly lost track of how long they had been lying on the couch watching the stars, listening to Nick's heart beat in time with the ocean. Before she could catch herself, Judy had drifted off to sleep. She awoke to a swaying sensation as she floated towards the cabana. She realized as the words formed in her groggy head that she wasn't floating, rather that Nick was carrying her to bed. Quite easily, judging by the ease with which he handled her body. The thought carried Judy's mind the rest of the way to their bed where Nick silently laid her down and began undressing. Facing away from her, his biceps rippled as he worked each button and pulled the shirt off one arm. With an unintended flourish she saw his lean core in the moonlight.

"When did you get so strong?" Judy laid chest-down on the bed, head propped up on crossed arms. Nick didn't seem surprised that she was still awake.

"It's not like I suddenly grew muscles." Nick unbuttoned his pants slowly.

"No...I guess I never noticed how strong you had become until just now. When we first met you were slender, but not...this." Judy gestured towards him with a paw. An unbidden smile crept across Nick's face as he turned around, finally seeing his lover spread out on their bed. Now only wearing boxers that barely hung off his hips...and his rapidly stiffening foxhood inches from Judy's face.

"Always the romantic." Judy pulled Nick toward by the nylon of the boxer's hanging so precariously from his hips and planted a generous kiss on the tip of the tenting garment. Nick's only reaction was to reach behind her head and gently massage the base of her ears. Judy purred in pleasure and slowly pulled his boxers until his prick leapt free. Without further encouragement Judy used a free hand to guide him into her mouth. Nick hummed pleasantly, but wasn't content to stand idly by. He leaned over Judy and masterfully slid a finger down her folds, coming to a halt just over her clitoris.

Judy felt paralyzed as Nick's finger swept across her sweet spot, sending spikes of lightning through her legs. Judy moaned as her hips involuntarily pushed upwards to give him more freedom to her sex. The pad of his finger wore a varied pattern of swipes across her slit that made her insides shrink into a rock before melting like chocolate on a hot day. Judy wrapped her lips around the tip of Nick's shaft, sliding him into her mouth at a just quicker than glacial pace, before pulling back just as quickly. She happily noticed Nick buck his hips, not-so-silently begging for more satisfaction. Now that she wasn't enslaved by her own pleasure, she didn't need more of an invitation.

When Nick plunged his finger from her sex, her abdomen contracted uncontrollably, coaxing the pressure she already felt in her groin boil over into a raging storm that raced across her body. In a few more thrusts Judy had her first orgasm that left her shaking on their bed. His member slid from her mouth with a quiet, lewd pop as she gasped, panting loudly. Nick grinned and twirled her around so that her butt was just hanging off the edge of the bed. He laid his slick foxhood against her groin, the drooling tip quivering above her belly button.

Wordlessly nodding, Judy took his shaft in a soft paw and positioned him over her entrance. Nick kissed her deeply on the mouth as he leaned into her, inching his burning rod past her taut lips. Nick unleashed a series of deep hard thrusts into his tiny bun, her slick petals bringing him closer to the edge. Judy moaned at the sheer size of him; reaching hidden places she had discovered days ago and feeding the inferno raging in her body to a new peak as Nick pushed her against the bed and buried his knot inside of her. His swelling member pushed her to her limit and far past it; her body writhing in pain as much as in pleasure. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him into one final thrust that when taken with the image of his lover in the throes of her own ecstasy brought him his.

Then Nick collapsed onto his hands and knees atop her, pinning Judy but not quite crushing her. Judy put a paw on his chest and he twirled them around so she could lie on his torso, breathing hard. His heart was hammering in his heaving chest. Neither spoke, nothing needed to be said.

When Nick finally woke, their room was already well-lit with bright golden light coming off the beach. Judy was still seemingly passed out on the pillow beside him closest the wall, allowing him to slip out of bed without disturbing her. He padded into the kitchen and brewed a pot of import coffee for the two of them. Judy had something of a sweet tooth, but he preferred the natural flavor of the drink to its diluted state. He had barely sat down on the living room love seat to watch the tide come in when his phone started buzzing. He swore, and then dug through his bag until he finally ripped out his phone and hit answer.

"Wilde! Where in hell are you?!"

"Good morning to you too, Chief Bogo. Do you talk to your kids this way or is it-"

"Shut it fox! Where?" Nick realized that this call was happening because Jack had made it happen. All part of the plan. At least he had been able to have one unrecorded night with Judy before he had to leave.

"I and Officer Hopps are taking part in some much needed R&R after our ordeal in Sahara Square."

"Oh, just some R&R? In a foreign country? Do you have any idea how you look to the internal affairs animals sitting across from me right now? Never mind!" The chief was pissed, but Nick sensed it wasn't directly at him, rather the situation that had been fine days ago that had now exploded inexplicably into a hot mess that he didn't know just yet was going to cost him one of his best detectives, maybe even compromise the performance of his first.

"I'm sorry Chief, really. Judy and I decided after the shooting that she needed to get away from the city. I didn't even think about my own situation before leaving." Silence was the reply from the other side, which was probably good.

"Your...honesty is appreciated, detective. I'm sorry, but there have been some developments in the investigation surrounding this shooting. I need you to return to Zootopia immediately." Nick wondered if Bogo was in on the plan. He doubted it, the old buffalo had been a Marine before he had been a cop, but then again...maybe Jack was an old war buddy. The realization was quickly accompanied by a sinking feeling. Nick wished he had more time to prepare, to think…

"Wilde?"

"Yeah...sorry, sir. I'll get my things together and head home. Should I bring Judy with me?" Some murmuring in the static.

"Not necessary, we just need you. Tell Hopps everyone is thinking about her."

"How sweet of you Chief, leaving the poor girl alone in a beautiful place like this…"

"Not my problem detective. We'll have someone fetch you to the airport." Nick grunted approval before tossing the phone on the loveseat and taking another sip of the considerably cooler coffee. Something from the previous night had cleared his head, maybe it was the coffee, but Nick was struck by an idea: he could get away with a half lie. If he played his cards right, built up a facade of shame and avoided Judy because of it, then tell her he was working as some minor employee for Mr. Big, it might be enough to keep her from digging into his activities too deeply. It might be enough to save their relationship until he could explain everything to her. This late in the game with as few cards as he had, it was all he could do. Nick settled into the loveseat and took another sip of tepid coffee as a sailboat drifted by far off in the sea. A quiet knocking at the door interrupted the silence. _"So soon?"_ He wondered, before lazily getting up and ambling to answer the door.

"Good morning Mr. Wilde, I'm here to take you to the airport. I apologize your vacation wasn't quite as lengthy as had intended, but perhaps you and Mr. Big can come to some arrangement for a return visit?" Nick forced himself not to sigh. Of course Charlie would be the one to take him away. Nick briefly wondered when and where the dog slept.

"Yeah, that's fine. I need to grab my bag, say goodbye. Give me ten minutes?" Charlie nodded and without further encouragement returned to his limousine, leaving Nick alone for the opening of the play. As he closed the door behind him, he wondered if he should bring Judy with him or leave her here. Her ticket was paid for, if he worked hard enough there was even a chance that the entire ordeal could be over by the time she returned to the force. Nick gathered the few belongings he had unpacked into his backpack, and then stepped into the bedroom. He sat on the edge of the bed, but watched his lover sleep for a moment before gently shaking her awake.

"Nuh...Nick? Why...let me sleep…" Nick couldn't help but smile. She was too damn cute sometimes.

"Judy, I gotta go home."

"Wha-? Why?" She struggled to get up for what Nick thought was probably the first time in her life. Last night must've really taken it out of her.

"Some stuff popped up at the precinct and they need my help. You should stay here though. This place is beautiful and you deserve the rest." Judy frowned, but her ears were still waking up with her and she looked more like a grumpy kit than a disappointed woman.

"That's bullshit Nick."

"I know, life is full of surprises."

"That's not what I meant. They have other cops. They don't need you."

"Chief is asking for me by name. I've got to go." Judy took Nick's hand as he rose from the bed.

"Promise me if it's anything serious you'll let me know?"

"I promise if I find myself in a situation where my own ability and the entire ZPD can't handle, I'll text you." Nick was surprised at how easily the lie came to him. He was even more surprised that Judy seemed to accept it by releasing his hand. The game was afoot, the pieces set in motion. Nick gave Judy a quick kiss, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and made for the door. A short, quiet car ride later and Nick was on a small commercial jet heading back to the mainland. He took a final look out the small porthole at the island, then snapped the blind shut. This plane ride was likely the only chance he'd have to prepare for what lay ahead, and he couldn't afford to waste any time.


	20. Chapter 20

The conference room in Precinct 1 had not seen much use, judging from the unmarred surface of the beautifully crafted hardwood table that spanned the distance between Nick and the handful of internal affairs mammals sitting across from him. Chief Bogo sat beside Nick, watching their interaction with an intensity the fox only saw when he was working on a case, which said to him that Bogo was truly on his side, otherwise he'd already know the outcome of this charade. Someday he would repay that kindness...assuming he survived what lie ahead.

"Detective Wilde, thank you for returning to the country. We certainly appreciate your cooperation." The raccoon sitting directly across from Nick said, quietly placing his hands on the closed manila folder in front of him. Nick wondered exactly what evidence Jack had provided them to get him fired; witness statements, crime scene photos, he briefly wondered if they had somehow managed to procure photographs or video of the actual shooting itself. Suddenly, he didn't want to see what might be contained within those yellow folds. Whatever it was shouldn't be talked about in such a clean, bright place. He nearly breathed a sigh of relief when the raccoon slid it to the side.

"We've already reviewed your case. Your debriefing was thorough, and the evidence available to us is clear, all that's missing is verbal interview-"

"Interrogation." Nick interrupted. He wasn't about to let them have an easy time of firing him, the corrupt assholes. The raccoon raised an eyebrow at him and continued,

"-interview. Your debriefing was thorough, we don't feel we need to question that material, but we did want to ask you about your relationship with your partner, Detective Hopps." Nick forced himself to not hide the grimace he felt come over his face. Their decision needed to look authentic, reasonable, and for that Nick needed to look suspicious. Fortunately the mild shock he had from Jack tipping IA off about his and Judy's relationship was enough to sell the look, at least to Bogo.

"Will that be a problem?" The raccoon asked, suddenly interested.

"Not at all. What did you want to ask about? I have nothing but respect for Detective Hopps and her work."

"Would you say more than respect?"

"Admiration? You read my mind officer…?"

"Tracy. And I don't mean admiration."

"Then what do you mean?" The raccoon pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"You know what I mean WIlde. Did you have inappropriate relationship with your partner?"

"No. Detective Hopps and I have a very close working relationship. We've been partners since day one, spent every day together for a very long time. I don't know what cunt-" Nick grinned when the raccoon frowned, "-is insinuating that our relationship is inappropriate, but they have no clue what they're talking about. We're friends and unless our performance metrics have dropped in the past week, we're also the best rated detectives in this precinct."

"We have to ask, enough of your coworkers mentioned you two had an odd partnership that we can't ignore it. And fortunately for you we don't have any evidence to contradict your statement at this point-" The raccoon looked to his coworkers who nodded briefly. "-however I think our investigation is complete and we have a consensus. Detective Wilde, we have determined that your use of lethal force on the two suspects who were fleeing the scene of the crime was questionable at best and unlawful at worst. We aren't entirely convinced you do not have an inappropriate relationship with detective Hopps that compromised your ability to think clearly and de-escalate, especially given where you just came from. If you were any other officer I'd recommend we go to trial for murder." Nick didn't say anything. He knew what was going to happen, no point in getting worked up over it.

"However...given your past deeds and performance, and the city government's vested interest in _not_ having a very controversial public trial, we will instead simply recommend that you resign."

"Are you joking?" Chief Bogo finally spoke, his voice was angry, loudly resonating in the small conference room. "You want him to resign for defending a fellow cop? Over two scum bags that were accessories to sexual assault, A&B of a police officer and god knows what else?" The raccoon simply frowned.

"No. Chief, Wilde shot two animals in the back as they were fleeing. The police have come under a lot of scrutiny recently for use of force and the last thing city hall needs is a highly public trial about a hero cop gunning down two unarmed, teenage animals that were fleeing. This is the best deal you're going to get." Chief Bogo didn't sit back down, but neither could he formulate a response. Nick again felt a glowing respect for the buffalo, and savored the feeling for a moment before rising himself.

"Chief, it's alright. There's nothing we can do, and this is the best path forward for me. You and the ZPD have given me the best years of my life, but I survived before and I can survive again. I'll collect my things, sign a resignation letter that city hall probably has already penned for me, and be on my way. Thanks. For everything." The fight in Bogo's eyes had died into a smoldering resignation.

"I'll be in my office, whenever you're ready to submit your resignation. Officers?" Chief Bogo and Nick left the IA officers to clean up the room.

"I'm sorry Wilde. This investigation completely blindsided us, they had you pinned before we even knew what was happening. I couldn't protect you." Bogo didn't look at Nick when he spoke, instead trusting his voice to carry well enough to be heard.

"I know you tried, that's all that matters to me Chief. You treated me fairly, and for a fox that means a lot. Can I make a final request sir? Keep Judy out of violent crime." Bogo frowned, shaking his head, but before he could open his mouth Clawhauser leaned over his desk and held a telephone like a sword, pointing it at Chief Bogo's chest.

"Call for you chief, it's the mayor." Bogo's shoulders sagged, more evidence that the days stress was proving to be too much. Nick laid a hand on Bogo's back.

"Go ahead. I'll clean out my desk and see you in your office to turn in my badge." Bogo sighed before taking the phone and turning away from the fox. The ZPD operated almost entirely without the use of firearms. Tasers, training and tranquilizers had proven more than sufficient for subduing the relatively rare cases of violence in the city and as such it was rare for an officer to be fired. Corruption had been the primary cause of the few officer terminations that had taken place; Nick was one of very few who had been fired for unlawful use of excessive force. It would look bad to the press, but to Nick's soon to be new place of employment it would get him exactly where he needed to go. _Clever bunny._

Nick didn't keep very many personal belongings at his desk, besides the expected pre-written letter of resignation there was only a framed newspaper clipping of his graduation day. The photographer was an employee of ZNN and had managed to snap a photo of the exact moment Judy had pinned his badge on his dress blues. As soon as he saw it, it had immediately become his favorite picture and he had it clipped and framed on his move in day. He held the picture in his paws, reminiscing about that day which had arguably been the best of his life. After years of skating along, making ends meet, he had finally found someone who believed in him. Challenged him to be more than what society expected, to make a difference in the world around him.

Nick's phone interrupted his daydreaming. A short text from an unknown number scrolled across the screen: " _Meet me at 23rd and Pack Street. Need to discuss your next move."_ Nick sighed and shoved his phone back in his pocket. Suddenly he had a hot date that he needed to get cleaned up for, so he grabbed the resignation letter and headed for Bogo's office.

A few hours and a change of clothes later, Nick found himself standing in a dive bar. Not unlike the Lone Digger, now that he thought about it. Bartenders in low cut shirts and cheap, fake smiles; shady characters glaring at him from the shadows. But none of those glares belonged to the rabbit Nick was looking for. Not in a rush to leave and potentially provoke some sort of retaliation from the CIA, Nick ordered a beer and found a seat in the corner to wait for whoever was supposed to come.

A gorgeous vixen with golden fur quietly slipped through the front door, wearing comfortable-if-casual clothes. Nick silently cursed his instincts for forcing himself to look her over, she was athletic, lithe, graceful...in short, attractive. Of course a vixen was his liaison. Jack wouldn't pass up the opportunity to challenge his relationship with Judy, especially now that he was vulnerable. Her expression was unphased when she spotted him, seemingly as interested as if a car had driven by. She slid into the seat opposite him and sat her purse in the seat beside her on the booth.

"Nick Wilde. I'm glad I can finally meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine, Ms…?"

"A gentleman too? How did you ever get mixed up with Savage?" She fawned, and Nick grimace at the feelings her smile stirred up in him. At least the years of lying he had put himself through held up, his outer appearance remained calm.

"I know everyone in this town. Turns out, knowing the CIA isn't such a good thing. Speaking of which, what did you say your name was?" She frowned, or at least pretended to frown, and sat back in her seat.

"You can call me Skye. We'll be working on this assignment together, and I have the next phase of the plan for you. Good job on getting fired, that must've been tough."

"Yeah, nothing like being kicked out of the best part of your life."

"If you're successful, there will be a new chapter in your life opening up even better than chasing down thieves and murderers. This doesn't have to be the end you know." Nick laughed, or, barked, at her comment.

"Look, Nick, we're after the Catastrophe's, the Pablo Escobark's of this country, you're chasing unorganized, low risk criminals. You may not agree with why you're here, but this country needs you." She waited for Nick to utter a smart comeback, but was greeted by silence.

"Now then...getting fired was the easy part. Now we need to wait until the story breaks in the news, which will be soon, then we wait a few more days to ensure Mr. Big has heard it. Then you need to approach Mr. Big and ask him for work."

"Something about this whole thing has been bugging me. This entire charade depends on Mr. Big thinking I and Judy have a future that I need to provide for, but how am I supposed to maintain a relationship with this city's best detective while moonlighting as a criminal for this city's most powerful crime syndicates?"

"You'll find that her work schedule will be built around yours. You'll continue dating, but the amount of time you will get to spend together will be minimal. You're a smart guy, you can figure out a way to keep her in the dark at least until you're extracted."

"Well that sounds like a solid plan. I didn't have Savage pegged as the Macgyver type. He struck me as more the plan-everything-in-elaborate detail, leave nothing to chance kinda guy."

"Trust me, Mr. Wilde, you don't know the first thing about him."

"And you don't know anything about Judy. She's smarter than you're giving her credit for. She'll catch on, then you'll find my body in an ice cube somewhere around Tundra Town."

"We know Judy more than you'd think. But I am curious. How do you make it work? There've gotta be logistics problems…" She leaned towards Nick, making an obscene gesture.

"You'd think, but she's very...determined. So am I."

"Even the…"

"Every time."

"Wow. She's gone up a notch in my book. Unless you're particularly small, that is." Sky's laugh was short, high pitched, but not annoying. It was feminine. Nick felt himself relaxing, and felt comfortable enough to let himself.

"That's for her to know."

"And me to find out?" Nick cocked an eyebrow but didn't respond. Instead he took a long drink from his beer.

"Shame. So you really don't regret being with a rabbit?"

"I've been working with Judy for a long time now. She's the first person since I was a kid to see me as more than a criminal, to see more in me than even I saw in myself."

"You didn't answer my question."

"I thought it was implied. No, I don't regret being with Judy. She's the best thing to ever happen to me."

"Just making sure, no need to get testy...anyways, for now, just stick to your apartment and don't go outside if you can help it. I'll text you when it's time to see Mr. Big. Now then, unless there's anything else it's time for me to go. It was...interesting, meeting you. Goodbye Mr. Wilde." Nick cursed himself as he watched the vixen leave the table for the door. _Just an instinct, nothing more. Nothing more than relieving yourself._


	21. Chapter 21

Apartments in Zootopia were one of many diverse products the customer-citizen of the city could purchase. Accommodations for all sizes, weights, and species of animals, and nearly all price ranges. Nick had painstakingly combed through potential apartments eliminating one after the other for one reason or another, too expensive, too small, too large, poor view, bad neighborhood and so on, and had finally settled on the one he now occupied not only for an acceptable rating in those categories, but particularly for its view. A view that he was now sick to death of. He had watched every movie he owned, exercised an hour or more each day, cleaned the place twice, had scheduled longing gazes at the city, and was thoroughly done with it all.

Technically, he was able to leave at any time, but since he didn't know Jack's rules he didn't want to test them until absolutely necessary. Thinking back on his conversation with Sky, Nick recalled that the vixen hadn't explicitly forbade him from leaving. They asked him to do this for a reason, the CIA's playbook had failed and they needed him to do what they hadn't been able to. If he was always playing by their rules, sticking to their plan, he'd wind up frozen solid like all their other agents. Nick checked his phone for the thousandth time that day; it was nearly 6pm, and his refrigerator looked barren. Surely a short outing to the grocery store was safe enough? Maybe he could grab a newspaper on the way, make it look like a legitimate intelligence grab rather than a boredom-induced escape. The fox gazed out at the city, basked in golden light as the sun began to set, beckoning to him. Nick sighed, and went to the closet to grab a jacket.

The fox nervously locked his door and took the elevator to the landing. To say he felt apprehensive was a drastic understatement, he had no idea how things were on the street. No major stories had been released, so it remained unlikely that anyone knew he had been fired and yet he still felt almost naked. It took him several minutes to realize it was because he was no longer police. He had been kicked out of that brotherhood, and the protection it brought with it. Jumping a shifty fox was one thing, jumping a police officer was another. He had survived years without it, but he felt a pang of sadness in his heart at the loss. He had found a place he fit in, a place he could thrive, and it was gone in less than two years. Nick closed his eyes and shook his head. No point in wishful thinking or what-iffing, he couldn't change the past. The corner newspaper stand couldn't come quickly enough, Nick was glad to have something to focus his mind on. Namely the dour-faced raccoon running the convenience stand he was now standing in front of.

"Hey Alexa, sweetheart how are ya?" Nick leaned against the counter, smiling broadly. The rotund raccoon slumped in the chair merely raised an eyebrow in greeting.

"Evenin'. What do you want?"

"Just the day's paper." Nick scanned the shelves quickly while the attendant slid off her stool to get the paper. His eyes lit up as he spotted a pack of blueberry gum.

"And a pack of blueberry gum please."

"Six fifty." The raccoon slapped the day's paper on the counter. The front page was dominated by a photograph of Mayor Lionheart and a headline announcing his return to politics after a short hiatus. Nick audibly sighed in relief, and forked over a pawful of dollars. Nick unwrapped a stick of gum and chomped down on it while he unfolded the paper and sat down on a bench. Besides Mayor Lionheart's candidacy announcement, there wasn't a lot else going on. The Cubs won their first World Cup in a hundred years, the stock market was doing better than ever but was also due for a crash, and Central Park was reopened after a short downtime for maintenance. Nick decided to read the last story, curious to see the spin Jack had had put in place.

" _Central Park is now open following a short downtime caused by a police shooting leaving three notorious criminals dead. The ZPD has completed its investigation regarding Detective Wilde's decision to use lethal force, and has found no evidence of wrongdoing on his behalf, although Detective Wilde has been called upon to resign for unnecessarily using lethal force."_

The rest of the article trailed off into a summary of the events surrounding that night, the maintenance performed, and the opening hours of Central Park. Nick wasn't sure how to feel. Part of him wanted to yell, be furious at the obvious lie, but a larger part of him was glad. Despite his personal animosity towards Jack, the rabbit knew how to spin a story to be boring. He briefly wondered how many such stories were completely falsified or watered down and passed off as sweet little nothings. Nothing seemed out of place, there was no rioting in the streets. It all seemed...normal.

Nick folded the newspaper under his arm and set off for the grocery store, casting a wary glance behind him. Any of the multitude of animals following him could be another CIA spy. Or one of Mr. Big's men checking him out. If that some amateur approached him now the mission might be over before it even started. Maybe that was the smart thing to do; give Mr. Big some hint, ruin the opportunity before he put himself or Judy in danger.

The fox growled unhappily. There was of course the blackmail, but he understood that he had the best chance to do the job on Mr. Big. If he screwed up, there was no telling how many good mammals would get hurt or killed trying to do it in his place. _Try to make the world a better place, right Jude?_ He thought to himself before heading into the store. He could practically hear the tiny rabbit agreeing with him.

He could practically see her casual confidence in her beliefs, in him. Not for the first time he felt a sharp pang of longing in his chest. It had only been two days, but before that he had spent nearly every waking moment with the diminutive bunny. Her sudden absence was palpable, to say the least. He was almost able to forget that he'd have to lie to her, maybe for a long time when she got back. Almost, but not completely. He physically jumped when his phone began buzzing and ringing in his pocket. Excitedly he hit answer and held the device to his head.

" _Hey Nick, it's Fenrir. Mr. Big wants to talk to you, mind coming over?"_

"Of course he does...yeah, I'll get a cab."

" _Don't worry about it. Where are you? I'll have someone pick you up."_

"I'm headed into that Piggly Wiggly near my apartment, you know the one?"

" _Yeah, I know the place. I'll have Kevin swing by and pick you up, he was in the neighborhood anyways. I'm sorry about your job by the way, those fat fucks running City Hall wouldn't recognize a service to the city if it dragged its balls across their face. See you soon."_ The call ended as abruptly as it had began, just as Nick's body caught up with his mind and his heart began pounding, and a tight feeling in his chest stole the fox's breath away. Nick spun heel and left the grocery store and found a bench to wait for his ride. He didn't have to wait long.

A large Catillac Escalade came to a stop in front of Nick and the average sized polar bear within leaned across the passenger seat and popped the door open. Wordlessly Nick jumped into the seat and pulled the heavy door shut behind him. Twenty minutes later he once again found himself pulling into the Icy mansion where Mr. Big made his bed. This time around he noticed the guard was substantially less than the last visit. Presumably because the primary threat to his enterprise had ended, thanks in part to Nick's deadeye. The red fox hopped from the SUV and made his way towards the imposing house. The thick double doors were shoved open by a surprisingly healthy looking Doberman, Fenrir. The dog met Nick a quarter of the way from the door and led him inside.

"Welcome home Nick. Sorry that vacation with Ms. Hoppes didn't pan out the way I had envisioned it...I hope you at least had a few nice days there."

"Hey Fenrir, don't sweat it. Given the circumstances, no one could've known how this was going to turn out. That island is nothing short of amazing, I'm glad I got to go at all." Nick was fuming internally. If the dog hadn't given him money or those tickets there was a chance that he would still have his job. He forced himself to remain composed; the Doberman was the tool, not the craftsman. There was no point in getting mad at him. "Say, any idea what it is that Mr. Big wants to talk to me about?" Fenrir grinned wolfishly, ushering Nick out of the foyer and into Mr. Big's study where he typically received his guests.

"I've got an idea, and I'm pretty excited about it. But to answer your question directly, no. You'll just have to hear him out yourself and let your good pal Fenrir know when you're done, right?" Nick forced himself to laugh lightly and nod, before facing the other doorway leading into the study. Shortly Mr. Big's right hand, Koslov, poked his head into the study and gestured for Nick to follow him. Nick raised an eyebrow, but didn't question the instruction. Mr. Big almost never allowed non-family mammals into the house proper. Nick was led through the halls of Mr. Big's house and out the back French doors and through the sunroom, then down a cleared and salted path to a boathouse where two more guards were waiting. The boathouse and most of the shore had a thick layer of ice built up on and around it, further out the ice had been broken apart to allow ice flumes and boats to pass through unimpeded. Koslov entered the boathouse and held the door for Nick, who gladly slipped into the warmth of the building that immediately took the edge off the light chill he felt on his skin. Inside he found Mr. Big sitting on a chair near the gate leading into the river that was currently closed. Beside him was his daughter Fru Fru, sipping something hot and warm from a mug. She turned slightly to see who had entered and squealed in surprise.

"Nick! Daddy, Nicky's here!" The tiny shrew waved him over. Nick had gotten to know Fru Fru just enough to know she wasn't quite as innocent of her father's business as one would initially believe. Her valley girl exterior hid that same ice cold business acumen that made her father so successful...and dangerous. He'd have to watch out for her. As Nick took his seat beside the two shrews, Mr. Big sighed his near characteristic sigh that let those near him know to listen.

"Nicky...I'm sorry to hear you lost your job. But why is it I have to summon you for you to think of me? Don't you love your godfather?" The shrew had always tried to follow the old country code of respect. When someone had a problem they could not fix, it was expected to go to your patron, especially if you had one as powerful and generous as Mr. Big. Not doing so could be considered an offense, which is why Nick needed to compose his response carefully.

"Mr. Big, you are my godfather who I love and trust. That job was the first good thing I earned on my own that gave me pride in myself. I felt I was making everyone proud, you included. When I was fired...I was too ashamed to face my godfather for squandering his gift." Mr. Big's face remained impassive, but Fru Fru was not so resolute, perhaps intentionally.

"Nicky...this firing business is a sham, you and I both know it. If you want your job back I can do that, but you must promise me to never doubt your godfather again. I love you like you were my own son, and what father would be mad at his son in this circumstances? If it were the booze or the prostitutes that would be one thing, but for defending the godmother to my grandchildren? Against a rapist and a murderer? If you want back on the beat it will be done before sundown today." Mr. Big was looking more animated now, the long-winded speech moving the blood in his veins. The shrew wasn't just physically dangerous, as one might expect. Physical violence was the minor leaguer's game, and Mr. Big was a professional. Among the many branches of his business, Nick found it unsurprising that the shrew had power at city hall to create such a change so quickly. Nick smiled kindly, but shook his head sideways.

"That's the other reason I was afraid of coming here immediately. I know you, godfather. I thought you might be able to make that offer, but I can't accept it. As much as I loved that job...I was a liability to Judy. I did well...but Judy is a superstar. She's the preferred pick for the next captaincy that becomes available, and her reputation is untarnished. If word got out that she was having an affair with me...if someone thinks our relationship may have caused animals to die...the damage to her reputation would be tremendous. I couldn't live with myself if I crushed her dreams."

"Very well...but you didn't come here to tell me no. What is it you came here for Nicky?"

"Mr. Big, sir, you obviously know that Judy and I are together. The vacation you sent us on allowed us to really explore our relationship and...well...to borrow a phrase from the old country…sono stato colpito dal fulmine."

"The thunderbolt?" The patriarch said quietly, touching his chin thoughtfully. The thunderbolt was a phenomenon amongst young men, who upon seeing a beautiful young woman were unable to think of anything else until they had had her. It was a powerful feeling, one the shrew had known himself many years ago.

"Yessir. Ever since we quit pretending to just be friends and allowed ourselves to be honest with each other I've been unable to think about anything else. She's everything to me, I want to marry her and give her the best future I can...but I can't do that without a decent job. One that won't jeopardize her dreams. Only my godfather can help me." The shrew was silent, but Fru Fru was grinning ear to ear. Judy was a good friend to her, she had a duty to make sure the bunny's chosen mate was on the up and up and Nick knew that he had sold it to them both. Mr. Big, although silent, was wise. He wouldn't speak until he had decided on what to do, and Nick respected that by remaining silent himself.

"I approve of your decision to marry Judy. Living in sin would be a tremendous offense to her. Regardless, I have a place for you in my personal organization. You and Judy will never need to worry about your future, as long as you continue to show respect and loyalty to me and my family. No matter what happens to you, she and your kits will be taken care of." Nick took a knee next to the tiny shrew and bent over until he was almost lying on the ground and kissed Mr. Big's hand.

"Thank you godfather. I can't express how grateful I am to you and your family...I'll do everything I can to repay you for this kindness." Mr. Big smiled warmly, and rubbed his hands together for warmth.

"I know you will Nicky. To start, would you please carry Fru Fru and I back to the mansion? I think her mother will have just finished making up dinner."

"With pleasure, sir."


	22. Chapter 22 - XXX

Judy didn't recognize the room she was in. It was dark, dimly lit amber candles were strewn throughout the room providing just enough light that she could make out the four-poster bed decked out in translucent crimson drapes and silken linens. Something dark shifted on the bed, but the candles weren't bright enough for her to clearly make out the figure. The rabbit inched closer, her chest growing tight in trepidation. All instinct in her body told her to run, but overriding all other senses was the urge to know. She hesitantly took one of the candles from it's perch and held it closer to the bed. The dim glow from the tiny flame crept across what she realized was a fox writhing naked in the fetal position.

"Nick?" She reached a soft paw out to touch his shoulder. As soon as her outstretched paw touched his fur he stopped moving. She quietly pulled him towards her, his body turning towards hers. She cradled his head and held the candle closer; his eyes seemed misty.

"Hey, were you crying? What's wrong?" Nick looked ahead, like he was staring through her at something far away, then looked up at Judy. He gingerly reached out to touch her face, then his lips parted as if to say something. Then wider as his throat bulged and a snake lunged from his maw, fangs closing around Judy's head. She began to scream, and was jolted awake by the landing gear striking down on the asphalt of Zootopia International Airport. The diminutive rabbit was shaking when the pilot's voice crackled into existence as the plane slowed to a manageable speed.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemammals, welcome to Zootopia! Today's weather on the ground is slightly overcast, temperatures are hovering around fifty-five degrees…" As the pilot monotonously droned on, Judy took several deep breaths to calm her nerves. _"Just a dream...just a dream."_ She chanted her mantra a few more times before taking another final deep breath and undoing her seatbelt. She had spent the past couple days trying and failing to relax. Without Nick around, she just found herself feeling more lonely than anything else. Mr. Big's cabana was well furnished and comfortable, but was also very empty. The vacuum of space left too much room for her to think, to remember. She wouldn't have lasted even a day or two had it not been for Morgan Savage who stopped by around lunch the first day Nick had been gone.

Morgan was a graduate from Kale University who attended on scholarship provided by the generous endowment fund the school managed and distributed based on merit and familial income. Kale was famous for its alumni's successes, many going on to hold notable public offices or starting successful companies. It was also infamous for a secret society that most of those successful alumni belonged to, although Morgan was never a member of that organization. Morgan spent a semester exploring potential majors before settling on finance and accounting, and then proceeded to get top marks in her classes. Throughout her college career she worked part time, using the extra income to start trading stock early. Upon her graduation, the young Jane had built her portfolio into a notable fund, which she used to attract the attention of Savage Investments, a rising star in the wealth management world. Once hired, Morgan now had access to other tax havens that allowed her to grow her net worth exponentially, while also exceeding at her professional work. Her personal success attracted other wealthy clients to Savage Investments, which led to her meeting her future husband Jack Savage. As her personal and professional portfolio grew, Jack's interest in her grew as well. She had far beyond proven she was just some dumb bunny trying to marry rich, she was a self-made rabbit with elegant tastes and an infectious passive charm. In short order, Morgan became a partner to the firm, then became a partner in earnest.

Being married was difficult for two animals like the Savages. They were both incredibly busy, most of their youth had been spent productively; finding time to focus solely on each other was hard. It's why Jack had left around the same time Nick had, work called and both of them couldn't be on vacation it would seem. Morgan confided in Judy that she sensed a friendly spirit, given that Judy was the first bunny police officer. The two connected on a deeper level than simply being in a beautiful place at no expense to themselves, and the duo spent the rest of the week together. It wasn't quite the same as having Nick around, but it made her stay bearable.

The plane eventually pulled to a stop by the terminal and Judy cut her phone on while she pulled her suitcase from the luggage rack overhead. She didn't bother looking at her phone until it stopped buzzing in the taxi she hopped into. There were seven missed calls from Mom and Dad each, several more missed Muzzletime calls, a billion snapchat popups, and a handful of texts. Judy turned thumbed the power button to her phone, shutting it off and sighing. She expected the flood of notifications, but nothing could quite prepare her for the deluge. She gave the driver her address, sighed heavily one last time, and pressed the home button on her phone to begin working through the snapchats and texts. The snapchats were mostly of food her friends were eating, or selfies with some vapid caption. One of Clawhauser's caught her eye; it was simply him at his desk with as mild of a questioning look as possible on his face, and the caption, _"Are you ok?"_

Judy wondered what he meant before shrugging it off and sending a selfie of her smiling, captioned, _"Never been better!"_. Almost as soon as she switched to her text app she knew something was wrong. Almost every short text description repeated Clawhauser's question, _"Are you ok?"_. Coming from her parents she might've understood the question, but coming from animals she barely spoke to meant something was seriously wrong. As she started reading through the messages in earnest her initial shock quickly wore off and was replaced with confusion and anger.

"I need to get to the ZPD HQ in Center City right now." She rapped on the window separating her from the driver and sat back down in her seat, arms crossed. Glaring out of the window she tried to come up with reasons why Nick wouldn't have called her. None of the answers made sense to her, if anything they all sounded like weak lies. She would most certainly ask Nick, but first she needed to talk to Bogo and find out what possessed him to let Nick walk. She checked the ZNN headlines for the past couple days and surely enough found one describing how the ZCLU pronouncing a victory in their fight against police brutality towards minorities with the firing of Officer Nick Wilde. The video itself didn't have very many likes or shares, which was encouraging, but it gave her a good idea of what was really going on. She listened to the video audio until the cab pulled alongside the front entrance to the ZPD HQ. She slipped the driver a twenty and shoved open the double doors to the HQ. Storming past the front desk and hopping up the stairs three at a time, she was in front of Bogo's desk in a hop skip and a jump.

"Welcome back Officer Hopps." Judy scowled viciously at the buffalo, who was visibly unimpressed but committed to making small talk. "How was your leave?" He crooned, straightening the report file he had been processing.

"Don't you sweet talk me Bogo. What the hell happened?"

"Besides avoiding a PR disaster, potential lawsuit and not being jaile? Nothing, nothing at all. Oh-" He interrupted her before she could get started, "-you wanted more? How about this: Internal Affairs wanted Wilde to go down. The shooting had several civil rights groups up in arms about police brutality and the only responses we had were to defend ourselves, cost everyone tax money, possibly arrest him and retrain the entire staff, or let him go. And before you ask-" He held up a hand to stop her from speaking. "-I would've gone with option number one regardless, but he chose to resign. Maybe you're still too new to this family to understand, but when a brother in arms makes that decision to sacrifice himself for the good of the department, you don't question that. You respect it and the animal you knew and the decision they made, offer to help if you can, and move on. So I suggest you go find Mr. Wilde and see how he's holding up." The Chief finished up his speech and sat down in his reinforced chair which squeaked under the weight. "Now, unless there's anything else you want to discuss, I have a lot of work to do." The buffalo's standoffishness made Judy mad enough to spit, but she growled and rushed out of his office. If Bogo refused to tell Nick how stupid he was being then she would have to do it herself. But first she would have to find him.

Judy went into the locker room to change into her duty uniform and come up with a game plan for tracking the fox down. She peeled off the jean shorts she had touched down in, mentally listing all the places Nick hung out around. The only hangouts that came to mind were Nick's apartment and Finnick's van, but neither seemed more or less likely than the other. As far as she knew, Finnick was his best friend and would definitely let Nick crash in the van. Maybe even start running scams again if money was hard enough to come by. Or, if Nick was moping by himself, he might be at his apartment. She unbuttoned her shirt and let it fall to the floor. If she went to visit Finnick and he wasn't there, Finnick might call ahead and warn Nick she was coming, so she decided to try the apartment first. Now donning the form fitting jumpsuit and vest of the ZPD and with a destination in mind, she tossed on a dark jacket and checked out their detective's unmarked squad car and drove to Nick's apartment.

Judy slipped past the front desk and took the elevator to Nick's floor. It felt strange for her coming here uninvited. She hadn't been back to Nick's apartment since their first time together, and now here she was about to start their first argument. That brief thought reminded her of her purpose, and renewed her fury. She wouldn't be there if he would've called her, trusted her, or respected her enough to tell her what had happened. With that she slammed her fist on the door and put her hands on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently. To her surprise, the door knob twisted down and suddenly he was directly in front of her.

"Long time no see Carrots." Despite herself, Judy had to fight the urge to tackle and kiss him. It had only been a two weeks since they had last been together, but that time had served to reinforce how lonely she had felt without him. And she had forgotten how _good_ he looked when he was relaxed; his undershirt was unbuttoned and untucked, a smart black jacket with silver cufflinks hung sharply from his shoulders. Unable to trust her instincts any longer, she did the only thing she could think of: ran forward and drop kicked him into his room. She pounced on top of him, balled up his collar in her tiny fists and kissed him hard on the mouth.

"Wow." Nick wheezed, letting the tension in his body dissipate. Judy didn't let go of his collar, but knelt on his chest so they were face to face.

"Why didn't you tell me? You said you would call if you needed me." Judy tightened her legs around Nick's torso as he stood up and hobbled to the kitchen. "I'm not letting go until you answer me." She said as Nick reached behind her and started pouring whiskey into a tumbler. The fox exaggerated a sigh and recorked the bottle.

"Would you believe my phone died?" He asked trying not to smile as he took a drink.

"No. Stop joking around, I'm mad at you."

"Oh really? I had no idea. Ow!" He yelped as Judy shook him by his collar. "Alright! Fine., But I'm not going to tell you hanging off of me like that."

"Fine, but I'll go right back if I don't like your answer." Nick walked them over to the couch, wrapped an arm around her waist and gently laid her on the couch next to him.

"What do you think would've happened if I had called you home?" Judy rolled her eyes and looked away from Nick, which she quickly realized was in the direction of his open bedroom door.

"We could've come up with a way to beat Internal affairs."

"Judy...I am guilty. I was lucky they let me walk away. We never really got to talk about what happened, I guess I was hoping it would disappear if we ignored it, but it looks like that's not gonna happen. So we need to talk about that night in the park." Nick was staring out of the window at the city below. Judy looked at him and wondered how those soft features could ever be distorted into the terrible visage they had been that night. She had understood immediately what it had meant of course, but she had never stopped to think about what had been going on in Nick's head. She mentally kicked herself for being so caught up in herself, and put her hand on Nick's.

"So...everything they're saying about me on the news, that I'm a killer, that I shouldn't be a cop, all of that is true. I've been lying to myself, pretending like what I did was justifiable. It wasn't. I killed them because they dared hurt you, and I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't do it again. As long as we're together, they're right. I can't be a cop. And you can't defend me. If your career got damaged because of me, I'd never be able to forgive myself. This city needs animals like you that it can believe in, and I can take it."w

Judy was quiet for several moments, then let go of Nick's collar completely. She hated herself for understanding, but she did. She trusted him completely, and she knew that when he said he would kill for her he meant it. And because of her Nick could never be a cop. She couldn't change that, she couldn't live with herself if she did. But she couldn't live without him either.

"You're right, as long as we're together and on the force, you can't be a cop. But you're not on the force anymore, and I can choose to do with my life what I want, including loving you. My professional work is immaculate, and Bogo is already protecting us. I'll let you quit the force, but I won't let you quit me-" Judy wiped her eyes as tears started building up. "-because I need you!" Her voice wavered. Nick smiled and hugged her into his chest.

"I was hoping you'd say something like that." He crooned, gently scratching behind her ears. "I just...you need to be sure. This could mean a lot for you, it could hurt your career, your relationship with your family..." Judy wiped at her nose, still sniffling.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. My family, the mammals on the force, they'll find a way to accept that. That's not what I'm worried about though...all this time I was thinking about myself. I didn't even stop to consider what you must be feeling..." Nick grinned and squeezed her butt, making Judy squeak and hit him in the chest.

"What I'm feeling is a very cute bunny butt on my lap, who for some reason wants me to be a permanent part of her life. But if this is what you want, what you really, really want, then I want you too." Something Nick had said gave Judy pause. _Permanent?_ She juggled the concept in her head for a few seconds before accepting it with a nod. She doubted Nick meant it like she was taking it, but in reality that's what she knew she wanted, and she knew he would want it, her, too. Nonchalantly she unclipped the hook holding Nick's slacks together and slowly pulled the fly down. Now partially exposed, she put a hand on his chest and the other on his hand, pulling it around her waist.

"Do I want you? Yes, yes I do." His kiss surprised her, but she quickly returned it with a fervor she had nearly forgotten. She wrapped her leg over his waist and was straddling him again, grinding herself on his lap while his strong paws stripped her pants off and kneaded her backside. Nick could almost taste the eager bunny's desire on the air, her unabashed need gave him pleasure; soon he was grinding back against her with his own passion. Unable to put off her satisfaction any longer, Judy tugged Nick's engorged length from his trousers and impaled herself on his burning rod.

Nick moaned and grit his teeth. He had forgotten how rapturous his lover's flesh felt against his, how snugly he fit inside her. After his initial shocked appreciation wore off, his instinct kicked in and he pulled his bunny against his hips while bucking them at the same time, sliding millimeter by millimeter deeper into her sex before pulling out of her. He noticed with satisfaction that as he did her legs tensed and quickly relaxed; he bucked his hips again eliciting a lewd moan from his lover whose toes were curling underneath Nick's legs. The fox increased the tempo of their love making from a slow, torturous pace to breakneck intensity. He worked her over until he felt her legs begin to shake before relenting on his assault. He gently picked her up from his lap and set her down on the couch beside him, coaxing her onto her knees such that they were looking out the apartment window at the street below. Now that his lover was resting against the couch, he laid his member between his bunny lover's cheeks.

"Oh boy." Judy looked behind her in time to see Nick spread her backside apart and plunged himself into her quivering flesh to the hilt. With each thrust, Judy felt fox prick tickling her cervix and suddenly pushed back against his thrust. She felt his knot ballooning and made one final push to conquer him completely, sealing them together as he released his seed into her womb. As their feverish love making slowed, Nick collapsed on top of Judy breathing heavily.

"God...I missed you."


	23. Chapter 23

Judy was awake long before Nick, as was typical. He was a light sleeper, but she had never managed to wake him by accident before. Propping herself up on one arm, she watched his chest slowly rise and fall. They had had sex before, nothing was physically different between the previous night and other occasions. But last night, something felt different. He had said they were going to be together, permanently. But he had also lied to her. Not trusted her when it mattered. No matter his good intentions, he had introduced doubt into their relationship and she couldn't help but wonder if he would still be there when she came home.

She sighed unhappily and slid off of his bed, dressing quickly and quietly. Everything had seemed so easy yesterday, just forgiving and forgetting. Maybe that was the key to making a relationship work; expose yourself completely and hope they don't hurt you. She glanced back at the bed as Nick rolled over and groggily spooned one of the longer body pillows. His semi-lucid gentleness reminded her that through all their time together he had never given her a reason to not trust him before now, she would find a way to forgive him.

As the door to his apartment clicked shut, Nick's eyes cracked open. Judy was gone for the day, it was time to go to work. He slid out of bed and hopped into the shower to fully wake up. The heat sliced through the morning chill and hauled his mind from the icy swamp that was his waking consciousness. With the fog lifted, he began the routine cleaning while he thought about the night before. He had expected Judy to come, to be angry at him, but he hadn't expected her to get over it. He had hoped she would've left him, or at least been distant so he could play on that for more breathing room between her and the danger he was courting. Instead she had done what she always did; defy expectations and throw wrenches in animal's plans. He sighed as he cut the water off and let the rivulets trickle through his fur. Getting her out of the picture wasn't totally necessary. It would've just made his job easier, and kept her safe while he did it. Their remaining together only meant he would have to lie to her until the job was done, maybe longer. Maybe forever.

Nick frowned as the room temperature air touched his skin. Protecting Judy would be his priority number one, nothing else mattered in the face of that. He finished drying himself and took a few minutes to groom his fur before dressing in the slim-fit black suit and undershirt, then carefully inserted the white gold cufflinks with his new bosses insignia engraved on their centers. Once he was properly dressed, he called a cab and grabbed the day's paper while he waited.

The paper held no surprises for him, but he noted that Halibearton stock had dipped a handful of percentage points, which was only significant if one knew that Halibearton was Mr. Big's holding company for his legit businesses which mostly focused on transportation income. Limo services, taxi companies, garbage collection, freight trucks, trains and boats, if something was being moved in the city limits odds were that Mr. Big had a finger in that pie. Nick just so happened to know that with Mr. Big taking him on as made man meant that Mr. Big had some new job that required a degree of separation between the two, presumably to move in the shadows and set the pieces to some larger activity. In the past, such moves had meant a coming period of violence within the city, which would naturally instigate retaliatory strikes and the revenue of Halibearton would drop as the EPS declined. Some insider had noted the change in personnel and gotten out early before the drop. He made a mental note to short Halibearton before he returned home. He rolled up the paper and hopped into the yellow cab as it pulled up beside him.

Once Nick arrived, he made his way to Mr. Big's office where he found the squat shrew sipping coffee with his own copy of the morning paper while Koslov sat behind him going over a large law book. The massive bear took a moment to glance up from the book before returning his gaze to the dusty tome. Mr. Big folded the paper and sat it on the desk in front of him.

"Good morning Nick...hopefully you're well rested. We've got a lot to discuss, and then do. Let's go for a walk if you don't mind." Nick lowered his hand to the desk to allow the shrew to stand on his palm, then proceeded out of the office and into the main promenade. Mr. Big directed them up the stairs, then into the library opposite the second story landing which had three large windows overlooking the driveway. Nick let the shrew step from his hand onto the window sill before closing the french doors to the room. While he was doing so he thumbed his phone to begin recording audio, then turned to face his new boss.

"As we discussed yesterday, there are some tasks I think you can help us accomplish. Particularly, I need you to deliver some orders to Fenrir and Jorge, and maybe do some work to assist with those orders."

"I'll gladly help in any way I can...but this seems like work that Koslov and Fenrir already do."

"Under normal circumstances yes. But you don't have a known connection to our family, and you can go places that they can't. To all outsiders, you will be just another face in the crowd."

"But I'll be passing on orders of some sort instead, and no one will be able to guess what we're up to."

"Exactly. You will be telling Fenrir and Jorge to begin recruiting. Thanks in large part to your work in central park, a lot of real estate has gone up for sale that we're interested in acquiring...or shutting down. When that fool Caesar was running central park the dealers were selling to anyone with the money to spend. The times are calling for change; if we control the supply then we control who they go to."

"And you simultaneously deprive your rivals of that income and influence. Good strategic move, but you mentioned additional work under your capos?" The rodent grinned coldly and looked away from the window.

"Indeed...once you pass on my orders, you'll scout some of these locations we want to take. Evaluate them, decide if they're worth taking. I expect this will be the hardest part of this assignment and the most time consuming."

"Stay inconspicuous in drug dens and dive bars, mingle with unsavory characters and then have them killed? And here I thought you liked me." Nick flashed a garish toothy smile, "Consider it done. Is there a list of real estate you'd be interested in?" The shrew looked out the window for a brief moment before gesturing for Nick to pick him up.

"Koslov will help you memorize a list. None of these can be committed to paper just yet. Arrangements are being made to ensure you are paid inconspicuously...and Nick?" The shrew looked pointedly at the fox. "I'm looking forward to the results of your assignment. Given the length of our relationship, it's past time you joined the family." Mr. Big held out his bejeweled hand for respect that Nick gracefully gave, then turned back to the window.

"Go now, see Koslov. And have Fru Fru come up here if you see her."

"Yes Mr. Big."

An hour later, Nick had memorized the locations Mr. Big wanted him to evaluate and was sent to visit one of the appraisers Mr. Big frequented for a crash course in real estate appraisal, owned by a porcupine named Walt Pointington. While the office building itself was typical for the area, the interior made it quite clear that Quillow Real Estate was doing very well. All walnut furniture in the guest lounge, and a matching desk in Mr. Pointington's office. Nick only wished that they had put as much of their success into the chairs, who were as uncomfortable as a chair had any right to be while looking as expensive as it did. As the lecture wound up, the porcupine slunk back into his seat and steepled his fingers.

"And those are the basics, if you look out for those you'll spot most everything worth noticing and should probably be able to judge the cost to repair fairly accurately. Of course you can call me with any questions, I'd be happy to help. For Mr. Big, I'd be willing to look at anything pro bono."

Nick put on the mask he wore on all of his hustles, that easy-going grin that seemingly betrayed confidence and warmth to all the fools of the world.

"Thank you, sincerely, but I have a feeling Mr. Big is having me do this work for him and not you is because he considers you a friend, and doesn't want to waste your time on these small time inquiries...although he might use your services should he decide to move any further with these properties. Consider this a preliminary examination. And you've been very thorough Mr. Pointington, thank you." The porcupine squirmed, seemingly uncertain on how to take the compliment. Nick rose to leave, holding out a paw. He would let the animal work it out on his own. He had never been mistreated by Mr. Big, he would eventually decide that this was a honest gesture and forget about it, maybe send a short letter to Mr. Big asking if there was anything he could do. Mr. Pointington rose as well and shook Nick's hand.

"Mr. Lupozini, one last word of advice: I remember my first job for Mr. Big. When I was just starting out, we went to a dance club in downtown center city. The place itself was fine as far as clubs go, but I noticed we were catching a lot of glances from the wrong sorts of animals. I told him as much, and he said, 'Don't worry about them. Animals come and go every day in this city,, but a good investment _lasts._ ' A few days later the property went up for sale at exactly what I had recommended, and Mr. Big had me process the purchase for him. All cash, and all up front. But I was honest with him. Since then that's always been the case. I gave him an honest appraisal, he agrees and we both get a fair deal. I've had competitors try to take advantage, and within a few months they inevitably wind up missing or drowned in the river. If you're working for Mr. Big, you had better never lie to him. He's a good friend, and a great man, but a terrible enemy. Good luck with your appraisals Mr. Lupozini."

With that, Nick thanked the porcupine again, slipped out of the office back into the city mulling over the porcupine's words. Had he legitimately been working for Mr. Big, he would've ignored it as a given and been on his way, but the fact that he was conning the crime lord made the porcupine's warning much more threatening. An omen, if he were the superstitious type. There was no question about if he was lying, only a matter of if he would be caught before Mr. Big's operation was too crippled to strike back at him and there was no telling how long that would take or if it would even happen. It certainly wouldn't without his helping it along. For the hundredth time since agreeing to help the CIA, Nick wondered if he would ever return to a semblance of normalcy.

"In for a penny, in for a pound. Time to go find Fenrir and Jorge." Nick mumbled to himself, then called the number Koslov had given him for free taxi service around the city. Within a few minutes a large escalade rolled to a stop and hauled the fox off to the Howloft, the luxury apartments and hotel Fenrir had been assigned to while he completed his recovery. A short drive later and Nick was stepping out onto a red carpet leading into a massive marble faced building. The auditorium was equally impressive, all granite tile and marble fascia rising to the ceiling nearly 20 stories above the ground floor. Nick walked towards the island front desk and waited for the receptionist, an exquisitely built female elk, to greet him.

"Welcome to the Howloft! How can I help you?" Nick couldn't help but smile; her voice matched her appearance, he would've put money on her being related to Gazelle.

"I'm here to visit Fenrir, he should know I'm coming. Tell him Mr. Lupozini is here to see him."

The elk gave him a slow once over before picking up the desk phone and making the call. She murmured something into the phone, paused a moment, and returned it to it's hook. She tapped a few keystrokes and slid a keycard across the desk.

"You'll need this for the elevator, swipe the card and press 'P' for the penthouse. Let me know if I can help you with anything else!" She beamed, although Nick could tell it was a facade. She didn't like the new manager, and may even have known about his connections. Nick kept his placating grin on until he was safely in the elevator with the doors shut before dropping the mask and keying the penthouse floor button.


	24. Chapter 24

Judy stared at her phone wistfully, waiting for Wolfard to rejoin her in their Interceptor with the coffee he had claimed they both needed. She realized it was an invitation to pull herself from her oppressive languor, but couldn't bring herself to comply with his unspoken recommendation. It had been several weeks since Nick had been resigned and begun to work full time for Mr. Big, and in those several weeks it had seemed that Nick had come in later and later each night, and then not coming home at all. He didn't keep her informed of his daily schedule, nor did he offer any explanation for his late nights or absences. Simply arrive at their now shared apartment, pour a finger or two of scotch, and join her in bed for what was by now only for the purpose of sleep. His demeanor had shifted so completely from what she had come to adore, that she found the routine made her feel less. Anytime she attempted to confront him about his behavior her outbursts were met with stoic silence and meaningless apologies, and soon she quit trying altogether. The only reminder of their old life was their texting throughout the day that although slowed due to work had remained unchanged. In that alone, she took a modicum of solace, despite the effect waiting for the next message had on her. Wolfard interrupted her thoughts with two steaming cups of Starbucks coffee and a smile.

"Liquid breakfast with a smile?" She joked, forcing a smile and taking the proffered cup from him.

"I'll take the smile at least. I can't remember you ever being this mopey around Wilde. Should probably change my cologne." He said somberly, simultaneously starting the car and taking a cautious sip from his cup.

"No, it's not you. It's-" She caught herself automatically, but decided that since Nick was no longer a fellow officer, there was no need to hide their fraternizing. as long as she changed some details of their relationship. "-it's Nick." She sighed deeply and took a sip of her coffee while she thought of an appropriate response. "When he got fired, we...we were finally able to be open about our relationship, but ever since then it seems like something is just...missing." Wolfard's eyes went wide, and the howling laughter that followed nearly deafened the sensitive bunny.

"Cheese and crackers! What's so funny?!" She cried, gingerly rubbing her ears. Wolfard wiped a tear from his eye, trying to regain control of his sensibilities.

"Oh! My god did you not know?" He guffawed once more before continuing. For her part, Judy simply took another sip of coffee, impatiently waiting. "We had a pool going on whether or not you two were dating, I just won fifty bucks!"

"There was a pool? How many people were in on it? How did no one tell me?!" Judy's outrage only served to fuel Wolfard's laughter. Judy let him have his moment, and waited with a scowl on her face for his goonish cackling to stop.

"Alright, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But seriously, subtle you two were not. So, take away the taboo nature of the affair, add the nine to five job, wait a few weeks, and the honeymoon phase is officially worn off. Maybe you didn't like each other as much as you thought you did when it was the forbidden fruit?" Judy gave his statement fair consideration, despite his earlier outburst, and agreed with it almost completely...but for one thing: through her text messages it was as if nothing had changed. Their playful, almost cat and mouse banter had intensified if anything. There was more to what was occurring than a simple dating problem. They had been working together for months; their professional synergy wouldn't change without a good reason. She felt that something was wrong, and Judy said as much to Wolfard who was still in good spirits after learning he had won the bet and was eagerly texting the packme where she guessed there was a hidden group for the bet itself.

"Well if you really think something happened, and he won't communicate with you, we can always tail him." Wolfard grinned, waiting expectantly for a rebuttal. A rebuttal that never came from his new partner, who was visibly mulling the idea over.

"I was joking, Judy. We can't tail your boyfriend to see whose tail he's been sniffing around. We have a job to do here…" He frowned when she scowled at him, and held his hands up to ward off the psychic attack she was aiming at him. "But, since the bets over, you could ask the beat cops to keep an eye out for him, let us know if they see him and what he's doing. Truth be told, you wouldn't even be close to the first cop to try and keep tabs on a spouse or girlfriend."

"Thanks Wolfard. I feel like -" Their radio crackled to life, interrupting the rabbit with news about a fire in Savanna Central. Wolfard hit the siren and the duo sped towards the scene.

The fire alarms across the street sounded were ear splitting even to a mammal without a keen sense of hearing as his. He could just barely taste the first curls of acrid chemical smoke, most likely the decade old paint burning, along with whatever various drugs and household cleaners were hidden away in the brick section 8 housing. Once he could see the faint glow in the windows, he dropped his newspaper on the ground and a group of street urchins who had been watching him ran to the building and threw rocks at the windows, shattering them and letting fresh oxygen into the blaze. The inferno surged outward, following the new source of fuel. The urchins ran off to collect their money from Nick's hired help down the street as he continued to watch the fire rage out of the windows like an old stone oven. It had a macabre beauty about it, and he would have considered it artistic had he not know about the handful of dead or dying mammals still inside asphyxiating. Heroin cooks and a few dealers doubling as guards, but mammals nonetheless. If he didn't leave soon he'd be able to smell their flesh cooking, and he'd start hating himself again. Instead, Nick headed inside the dingy coffee shop he had been sitting in front of and ordered another black coffee, and began going over the strategy for this area.

The entire block was somewhat rundown, but it was relatively close to several decent businesses and was neighbor to an industrial park with a few factories and workshops. In short, it could be made into a fairly profitable apartment block once the foundations were laid. Those foundations of course being the drug dealers and addicts living in the building that was now burning nicely. It was the first property he had went into that he had decided could not be saved. The place was a breathing biohazard; graffiti on the walls, bodily fluids of all colors also on the walls and floors, stained carpeting in nearly every room, plumbing ripped out of vacant rooms, exposed wiring and generally faulty wiring in the basement, and the building's climate control was completely busted. The capital needed to buy and renovate the entire building was already past the point of no return. And that was without even getting into what it would cost to make the building look attractive to the renters they were after, or what it would cost the ward aldermen to approve the purchase and privatization of government housing.

So he had decided to burn the place to the ground instead, start from scratch. Maybe make a concession for some of the reputable previous tenants to move into the new apartment in an out of the way room. He (with his phone recording of course) had passed the word on to Fenrir, who sent a few new and old members of his regime into the building to prepare it for 'renovation'. As Nick was finishing his coffee he heard the first responder sirens in the distance, and drained the cup. Judging by the way fire leapt out of the windows and thick oily black smoke roiling into the sky, his work here was done. It was time to check in, with the building now turning into a sparkler this ward's objectives were essentially complete. Mr. Big now had a greater share of the realty market here, and could exert more influence on the voting population, not to mention the additional revenues and hidey holes for his less than legal elements. Nick got out his phone and dialed Fenrir.

"How'd it go?"

"Can you can hear the sirens through the phone? It went that well. I feel like I need a shower after that."

"I can imagine. Those places even feel sticky. Or greasy. Both. Anyways, that was your last appraisal in that neighborhood, I'm gonna have someone pick you up and take you the boss's place for dinner, his treat." Fenrir didn't need to say it wasn't an invitation, so Nick didn't bother resisting it. Not that he would've anyways, a nice long meal with the biggest crime lord in the city would hopefully have a reward of its own.

"Sure. I'm headed towards 23rd and Pack Street. Think I got time to clean up first?"

"Oh yeah, you've probably got an hour or two before they're ready." _Perfect._ Nick thought. If he hurried he could probably check in with Sky -

"Nick?" The fox's shoulders scrunched up like a cat. He expected it to happen at some point, but that she was here now of all times...that she would be the one to go over his work and discover the bodies, smell the burnt fur and charred flesh. And he had been caught like a kit with his paw in the cookie jar. He slowly turned around, acutely aware of how stifling his suit was feeling.

"Hey Carrots." He regretted saying it as soon as the words passed his lips. Judy furrowed her brow and frowned.

"I barely get to see you anymore, and when I finally do see you it's walking away from a structural fire and all you can say is 'Hey Carrots'? What the hell Nick!" He would've been upset if there weren't an unknown number of dead mammals less than a block away he had had killed. As it were, all he could manage was an unhappy look of apathy.

"Sorry Judy. I've been busy with my new job, trying to fit in. Can't really help the circumstances... Speaking of that fire, you may want to steer clear until the fire department gets the blaze under control. Looks pretty bad up close." Judy glared at him a moment more before relenting and sagged her shoulders in defeat. She turned to stand beside him and watch the fire department battle the flames.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you. I just miss you, and hate that it takes a random encounter to actually talk to you anymore." Nick closed his eyes briefly, feeling suddenly very tired.

"I know...I'm sorry. As soon as I get this new job figured out and locked down things will go back to normal, I promise." Judy sighed quietly.

"Yeah, your new job...what are you doing out here anyways? This is nearly a half hour away from Tundra Town."

"Mr. Big has businesses all over the city that he's having me visit. Wants me to get acquainted with the people running them."

"Mr. Big owns a business here?" Judy asked, sounding surprised. "Which one?" Nick pointed at the inferno a few buildings down.

"That one. Speaking of," Nick faced Judy as a black Catillac pulled up to the curb. "I need to get back, let him know we'll need to file an insurance claim. I'll be back late tonight... let's try to get dinner tomorrow? We could use a date night."

"Sure, Nick." She sounded distracted, but Nick was glad she hadn't pushed any further into why he was there. He hopped into the waiting SUV and took off towards his apartment. Judy kept watching the fire, now free to furrow her brow without raising suspicion. Why would an accountant need to know the mammals running an apartment complex? It could be written off as a quirk of Mr. Big's management, but she wasn't delusional. The shrew was a crime boss; even though nearly all of his income was legal he was known for protecting that revenue illegally, by any means necessary. Nick's presence at a structural fire owned by his employer just as it started was suspicious at best. Nick being here now of all times felt wrong, she couldn't just chalk it up to chance. A commotion in front of the conflagration caught her attention and drew her from her reverie; several mammals were shouting about their family or friends inside the building not responding to phone calls or texts. Judy made a mental note to look into this case very closely as she ran to help Wolfard control the crowd.


End file.
